Nightingale
by XxCupcakeAssassinxX
Summary: Allie thought her day was going to be a normal one. She was going to go to the dentist and then go home. She never expected to be kidnapped by one of the most dangerous men in Gotham along the way. She may be young, but she's about to learn nothing is "normal" in Gotham City. *REWRITE*
1. Chapter 1

**_*Previous readers please read author's note at the bottom*_**

**_CHAPTER 1_**

I stared blankly at my hands, numb to the harsh winter wind that nipped at my bare arms and feet. It was snowing, though the pure white flakes mingled in the falling ash, forever tainting my view of the once wondrous spectacle. I was vaguely aware of someone speaking, and looked up to see Batman towering over me.

"What happened?" he repeated. I stared at him, taking in his features. From the black cowl covering his face, to the cape that covered his broad shoulders and the black bat that was sitting in the middle of his chest. He didn't even have a scratch on him, which was strange considering the events that had taken place over the past couple of days. I figured he'd at least have a tear in his costume, but no, it was in pristine condition- only tainted by the white of the snowflakes sticking out against the black that covered the rest of his body. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see someone before in my life, and I've only ever seen Batman a few times- if the few seconds he stayed in sight were any count. He didn't seem as relieved to see me, though. His mouth was in a solid line, and I could see no emotion in his face at all. Then again, that may have something to do with the mask he wore. Or maybe he's really just as cold as people say. I took note of how incredibly tall he seemed to be from my curled up position on the ground. I don't remember him being quite that large… He was kind of intimidating. Intimidating, but still relieving all the same. My eyes left him and landed on the smoldering pile of rubble that had once been my home. I wanted to burst into tears, but none would come. My throat was dry and sore, voice cracking as I spoke for the first time in hours.

"It's a long story." I barely managed a whisper. I just sat there, staring at the rubble. For a long time, neither I nor Batman moved or made any further attempt at conversation. Then again he wasn't exactly a chatter-box, so maybe it was just me. Suddenly, I was aware of something warm being wrapped around my shoulders- some sort of cloth. It wasn't necessarily soft or comfortable, but it was warm, offering protection from the harsh winter weather, so I curled into it all the same. Strong arms lifted me off of the ground, and I was carried in the opposite direction of my home. I didn't struggle, still too numb to care where he was taking me. Not that I minded, or could do anything about it anyway. I mean, he was Batman. I didn't even blink as I was seated into a car, the cloth still wrapped around my shoulders. Looking down, I realized that it was Batman's cape. I didn't look up as he got into the driver's seat beside me. He rummaged around for a minute, before holding out a water bottle to me.

"We have time." he said softly. I looked up at him. He was looking at me, and even through mask and the fact his mouth was set in the same firm line, I could still tell he was being sincere. If I could, I would have burst into tears, but I was still feeling dehydrated. I turned away, chugging half of the water bottle to soothe my cracking throat before capping it. I wrapped the cape around me more securely and took a few deep breaths to settle my nerves. Hugging my knees to my chest I proceeded to tell Batman everything that had happened over the past couple of days.

~*A few days ago *~

I arched my back in a stretch, letting out a loud yawn in the process. Staring out the window of my mother's car, I took mild interest in the people walking along the snow-dusted sidewalk as we waited for the early Gotham traffic to move.

"Alison Nichole Valentine, are you listening to me?" my mother demanded. I looked over at her and offered a smile.

"Uh... Sorry." I apologized, which only caused her to sigh.

"I was saying, that because this traffic is so bad," she slammed her fist on her car horn angrily as a yellow taxi attempted to cut her off, "you're going to have to come to work with me, go to your appointment, and then go to school." she finished. I only frowned in response. Going to work with my mom wasn't exactly my ideal way to spend the morning, but it beat going to school, so I didn't protest.

"What time is my appointment, anyway?" I asked, leaning my head back against the seat.

"It's at ten, but I'm supposed to be at the office at seven and it's already," she looked at her watch and sighed again, "six forty-five." she said tiredly. I sighed as well and crossed my arms. _It's too early, and too cold, to be awake right now._ And with that thought in mind, I drifted off to sleep.

"Wake up, sweetie, we're here." My mother shook me awake. I stretched and peered out the window, eyes widening at the vastness of the building before me. Even when I got out of the car I had to crane my neck in order to even try and see the top, which seemed to vanish into the clouds.

"Where do you work again?" I asked, awestruck. When I got no response, I turned to my mother only to find her staring at me.

"Really? I've told you almost a hundred times." She chastised, pointing above the spinning glass doors that led into the building. "**Wayne Enterprises**" was written in large, polished stone letters. How did I miss that? My mother laughed as my mouth dropped into a small "o" and she gave me a one armed hug as we walked inside.

"Morning, Jan!" the security guard at the front desk called thoughtfully.

"Morning, Rick!" My mother, Jan, responded with a small wave. I raised a brow and slowed as we passed. One security guard? That's all that was protecting the lobby of Wayne Enterprises? '_Maybe some of the other security guards were in secret rooms watching cameras, or went to get coffee.'_ I looked around eyeing each camera thoughtfully. The way my mother disregarded the fact that Rick was alone shot down my coffee theory, and it made me even more wary of the cameras set up in the room. Knowing that there was more security in the building put me at ease, but, in a city full of some of the most dangerous and insane criminals in the country, you would think there would be more than one security guard at the entrance to one of the most high tech buildings in the city. It never hurt to be overly cautious in Gotham. My parents put three locks on the door, installed a security system, and we even adopted two German Shepherds named Beau and Duke. All because my dad used to work in the same office as Edward Nygma. He said that they'd never talked to each other before, but he didn't want to take any chances that the madman may come after him as he had many others who worked in the same office.

"Who's this you got with ya?" Rick asked, his downtown, New Jersey accent seeping through.

"This is my daughter, Allie." My mother replied, placing a hand on my shoulder. Rick tipped back the hat that sat upon his graying brown hair,

"You're kiddin'! She doesn't look old enough ta be your daughter." He joked.

"Oh, I know. She's going to be seventeen next Saturday, can you believe it?" my mother gushed. I rolled my eyes and held back a frustrated sigh, opting to give Rick a polite smile before averting my gaze to the nearest wall.

"No ma'am. Wow, she looks just like ya!" Rick replied with a laugh. I looked over at my mother. Sure, we shared some similarities, but I didn't think I was a carbon copy like most people made me out to be. I had her curly, beach blonde hair and pale complexion, but I inherited my blue-green eyes and height from my father. Or, lack thereof, I suppose. I'm not really "short", but, I'm not exactly going to be taking things off of the top shelf in the grocery store by myself anytime soon, either. We said goodbye to Rick and hopped on the elevator to go to my mother's office, which was on the thirtieth floor of the building. Yeah, the _thirtieth floor_, and that's not even half the building. After a few agonizing minutes of alternating between silence and being introduced to my mother's coworkers as they boarded the elevator, we reached her office. I took the chair in the corner of the room, nearest the windows and took out my iPod.

I waited for Pandora to load and smiled as Dean Martin began serenading me with Christmas carols. I took out my cell phone and started texting my best friend, Lindsey, telling her why I wasn't at school and all that jazz. Now, my phone was no smart-phone, quite frankly it was a plastic piece of crap, but I'd had it for almost three years and it still let me text, so that was good enough for me. Sentimental value, I guess. Well, that, and if I wanted a new phone I was going to have to pay for it myself. Yeah, I burned through phones pretty easy. So of course, I tried to make this one last as long as possible. I sat there contentedly texting and listening to music for about an hour before my mother tapped on my knee, and I paused my music to better hear her.

"It's not time to leave yet, but I was wondering if you were getting hungry? We could head upstairs to the cafeteria and grab a snack." she offered. I could use a stretch. I thought as I nodded and pocketed my phone, shoving my iPod back in my backpack.

The cafeteria my mother was taking me to was located on the ninth floor, so we took the elevator again instead of taking the stairs. We had just reached the fifteenth floor, when the elevator stopped. The doors opened and my eyes widened when I saw Bruce Wayne standing on the other side. He wasn't paying any attention to the fact that the elevator had opened, as he was too busy talking to the slender, blonde haired man beside him.

Taking note of how sharply dressed Mr. Wayne was, and how nice my mother looked in her pencil-skirt and silk blouse, I started to feel self-conscious. Since I assumed I would be at the dentists this morning I had merely thought of comfort and not quality, opting for a pair of old skinny jeans, a faded T-shirt from my freshman year in art club, an old pair of Toms, and a pair of pink cupcake earrings. The only thing I'd really put any effort into was my hair, which was pinned out of my face and cascaded in white-gold ringlets past my shoulders.

"Sounds great, Marcus. Keep up the good work." Mr. Wayne's voice brought me out of my daze. He turned to get into the elevator and smiled.

"Good morning, Janice." he greeted politely, calling my mother by her full name. His pale blue eyes turned to me and locked with my sea-green ones. I'm sure it was meant to be polite- you're supposed to keep eye contact when you're talking to people, right?- but it only served to make me nervous and more self-conscious than I was before. It felt like he was looking right through me…

"Who's this?" he asked, keeping a curious gaze on me.

"This is my daughter, Allie. Allie, this is-"

"Bruce Wayne." he introduced himself, holding out his hand for me to shake. His large hand practically swallowed mine, and I marveled at the size difference. A flash of white, contrasting with the crisp black suit he wore, caught my eye and my gaze trailed past his hand. There was a bandage on his wrist, peeking out just below the cuff of his shirt, and I couldn't help but stare at it. There was a faint tinge of red seeping through the white cloth and my brow furrowed. Was that… Blood? He pulled his hand away quickly when he realized I was staring, and my cheeks turned pink, embarrassed at how rude I'd been… And the fact that I'd gotten caught.

"Where are you ladies headed?" he inquired, shoving his hands deep within his pant pockets and turning his gaze away from me.

"We're on our way to the cafeteria. Thought we'd take a break and get a quick snack." Janice answered thoughtfully.

"When you're finished there, do you think you could stop by the lab and help Marcus file his latest data report? The man is a brilliant scientist, but either he doesn't know how to use our new filing system, or he just doesn't want to do the reports." Bruce said tiredly. My mother nodded eagerly in agreement, reassuring him that she'd take care of everything. The elevator let out a soft _Bing_ as it stopped on the ninth floor.

"I hope you enjoy the remainder of your stay, Allie." Bruce said as I exited the elevator. I smiled at him and gave a small wave goodbye, breathing a sigh of relief as the doors closed.

The "break" that I took with my mother lasted a total of two minutes. The second the elevator doors closed on Bruce Wayne's face, my mother whisked me over to the vending machine, bought an energy bar and a coke, and then rushed me back to the elevator. When I asked why they were in such a hurry, she just looked at me with this apologetic smile on her face.

"Sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to rush, but I'm really trying to work hard to get this promotion." she replied. Oh... Of course. Yeah, I know, it seems a little cliché, but whatever. That was her excuse, so I didn't question it. My mom pushed the number fifteen and the number thirty on the button panel, before turning back to me.

"I'm going to go ahead and stop by the lab to help Marcus. Go on back to my office and wait for me there." she instructed. I sighed but nodded to show I at least acknowledged her. I watched as my mother exited the elevator and waved goodbye, leaving me alone in the elevator. I frowned, disliking the thought of being alone in such a vast office building, and as a reflex reached for my phone to continue texting Lindsey. I reached in my back pocket, and my heart froze. It wasn't there. I searched through each pocket three times, before I started to panic. _What the heck?_ I screamed mentally, _Did it just hop out of my pocket?_ I froze again. Oh, crap. In my mother's rush to get out of the cafeteria, there's a good chance it could have fallen out of my pocket. I planted my forehead against the wall of the elevator, and let out a groan as the doors slid open to the thirtieth floor.

I thought about just waiting for my mom to get back, and then go with her to look for it- which was probably the smarter thing to do- but I wasn't sure when she would come back, and my phone was too important to wait for. Well, it was to me, anyway. I pressed the number nine on the button panel, and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. When the doors opened on the ninth floor, I immediately saw my phone. It was sitting, scared and alone, next to the vending machines where my mother had purchased my "snack". Here's a quick lesson for you: Energy bars are _not_ snacks. Energy bars _are_ disgusting. Okay? Okay. Anyway, I darted out of the elevator, scooped up my phone, and ran back to the elevator as quickly as I could. I clutched my phone tightly, hugging it to my chest as I waited for the elevator to come back up. When the doors finally slid open I pocketed my phone, more securely this time, and reached for the button panel. No sooner had I pushed the button for the thirtieth floor, than I jumped to the farthest corner of the elevator in surprise due to the incredibly loud _thud_ that came from above me.

I looked up cautiously. _What was that?_ My eyes widened as the sound of voices drifted down from above. My head was immediately filled with questions and conspiracies. I was on the verge of giving myself a mental breakdown before I scolded myself. This was no reason to panic. The maintenance guys were probably just working on the elevator. While it was moving... And I was inside… Oh, God, what if the elevator was faulty and I was stuck here? Or worse, what if something was wrong with the wiring and the cable snapped while they were working on it, sending me on a swift plunge to the basement? I took deep breaths, slowly calming myself. My heart skipped a beat when the door to the emergency exit on the top of the elevator was pried open. I immediately flattened myself against the wall, slowly sliding down into the corner of the elevator, and compacting myself into the smallest human ball I could manage. Two men hopped down from the exit, their backs to me.

They were both wearing the same type of jumpsuit; only one man was wearing white while the other was wearing black.  
>Both men were wearing hockey masks, one half of which was black while the other half was white. Now seemed like a good time to panic. <em>If I don't move, they won't see me. If I don't move, they won't see me…<em>Those words were a mantra in my mind, and I willed them to be true. Either my logic was right, or I was small enough that they didn't see me, seeing as neither man turned in my direction.I struggled to keep from hyperventilating as a _third_ man jumped down from the exit. This man was slightly taller than the other two, and he wasn't wearing a mask or jumpsuit. Instead, he was wearing a very expensive looking suit, half of which was a crisp black, while the other half was a pristine white. Half of his hair was black and slicked down on his head, while the other half was white and wild, as though he'd stuck that half of his head out the window of a moving car. He took a coin out of his pocket and started flipping it in the air repeatedly.

Now, for those of you who have never had them, Toms are slick on the bottom. They have little traction, and that little traction is made practically non-existent the more you wear them. Great for sliding down halls, but not so much if you're trying to go unnoticed. This realization came crashing down on me as my foot slid from under me and tapped the man flipping the coin on the leg. He whirled around, pulling a gun out of his jacket pocket as he did so, and fixed me with a murderous glare. The only sound in the elevator was the soft _clink_ the man's coin made as it clattered to the floor. My mouth gaped slightly when I saw his face, the left half of which was deformed and discolored as if it had been badly burned. It wasn't just his face that was burned, I noticed. His left hand, which he was using to hold his jacket back with, was badly burned as well. Now, I didn't gape at him to be rude, or because I was scared. Not at all. No, I was gaping at him because I realized that I was in the presence of one of the most dangerous, unstable men in Gotham City- Harvey "Two-Face" Dent. And was more than likely going to die.

"I thought you said this elevator was empty." Harvey snapped, causing the two men to flinch.

"I-It was, Mr. Two-Face, sir! Honest!" the man in the black jumpsuit whimpered, pulling out a small screen, about the size of an iPad. "Th-The device your contact gave us worked perfectly- I-I don't know how she got on without us knowin'! There must be a fault in the wiring or somethin'!" he exclaimed. Two-Face sighed, though it sounded more like a growl. "Idiots…" he grumbled. Harvey nodded his head at the man in the white jumpsuit, who in turn pushed the emergency stop button, causing the elevator to come to a sudden halt.

"What're you doing here, kid?" his voice was rough, as if he had been gargling rocks. I swallowed hard. My throat had gone very dry in the past couple of seconds.

"I-I... I was just going to see my mom." I replied meekly. I'm not going to lie and put on some big act for you about how I stood up to Two-Face, gave a witty remark and that I wasn't intimidated by him. Oh, no. I was scared. Terrified, really. This man was unstable, I was trapped in an elevator with him, and he was asking me questions while pointing a gun in my face. If I answered with something he didn't like, who knew how much longer I'd be alive? Two-Face didn't let up his glare, studying me intently for a few minutes.

"Boss, the cops are here." The man in the black jumpsuit informed him, looking at the small, iPad-like device. Two-Face turned his ear to the man, his gaze never leaving me.

"How many?" he demanded. The man gulped, "Too many. We're not going to have time to grab what we need and bolt before they get up here. Heck, we may not even have time to bolt now." Two-Face was silent for a few more minutes, just staring at me. I could feel my heart slamming against my ribcage, and for a moment, I thought he could too and that's why he was being so quiet.

"What's your name?" he finally asked. My head was swimming at the abruptness of his question. _A name? Wait, I have one of those, right? What was it again?_ I sat there, opening and closing my mouth like a fish for about two minutes before Two-Face snatched my forearm and yanked me off the ground.

"I said_, what's your name_?" his voice boomed in the small confines of the elevator, and I blanched.

"A-Allie! My name is Allie!" I squeaked, before mentally slapping myself. Why hadn't I given him a fake name? Granted I wasn't the best liar, but I was scared, so it wouldn't have been totally obvious I was lying, right? I flinched as he leaned down and picked up his coin, flipping it into the air. He caught it, slapped it onto the back of his hand, and grinned.

"Well, Allie, today's your lucky day." I didn't exactly feel very lucky… "You're going to be something like an intern for a little while." He was eerily calm now compared to his outburst earlier, which scared me even more. Intern..? He shoved the coin in his pocket, jabbing a finger in the lobby button as he did so, and the elevator started moving again. I gasped as I was placed in a choke hold, my blood running cold in my veins as the cool metal of the gun barrel was placed against my temple.

"Your first task is not to cause me any trouble." he hissed icily in my ear.

_**A/N**_

**So, for those of you who have read this story previously, I apologize. But, in all honesty, I hated this story for a long time. Yeah, I got about 13 chapters in, but I absolutely hated the outcome of them. I think that's why it took me so long to get new chapters out and almost drop the story. I just didn't feel like writing anymore because I just didn't like it anymore. However, I revamped the story, and fell in love with it again :) **

**So, the storyline is basically the same, with a few changes for the better. If you want to read from the beginning, you're more than welcome to! However, if you just want to pick up at chapter 14, that's fine too. The storyline hasn't changed, I just think I've improved the writing to something I can stand now. I'm just that picky. **

**I'm going to start uploading the revamped chapters weekly/every other day in order to give me time to continue to revamp the other chapters and to write more. I just got antsy because I figured everyone thought this story was dead. It's not! I promise :) **

**So, to readers previous and new, thanks for reading :) **

**-CA**


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER 2**_

My first instinct was to claw at the cause of my sudden lack of oxygen. This only seemed to annoy Harvey, and he tightened his arm around my neck. I stopped struggling against him, but kept my hands where they were on his arms. He loosened his grip slightly, and I took the opportunity to gulp in some air. As the elevator reached the lobby, I could hear the faint sound of sirens wailing. The Police were there. The though settled my nerves a little. Maybe this wouldn't turn out to be a traumatic experience after all. Maybe the police would stop Two-Face, then I'd find my mom, and we could go home. At least, that's what I hoped would happen, but these sorts of situations didn't seem to go over as easily as everyone wanted them to.

"They'll be waiting for us when the doors open. Get ready!" Two-Face ordered his lackeys. Immediately they brought their guns up, prepared to shoot. They seemed fairly small, and the only thing intimidating about them were the incredibly large barrels. How had they managed to conceal those? _Where _had they managed to conceal those? I tensed as the elevator reached the lobby with a familiar _Bing_. I watched the doors open with bated breath.

There were about eight policemen spread out through the lobby. Guns were drawn, and they were pointing them at the elevator. I looked around the room at the men and women who would be attempting to rescue me. At least, I hoped they would. Most of the cops in the room seemed just as surprised to see me as I was relieved to see them. As I continued to look around, I noticed the Commissioner was among the many faces. My eyes left him and rested on one familiar face in the corner. It took me a minute, but I finally placed a name with his face. It was Rick, the security guard from this morning. He evidently recognized me too, because not long after our eyes locked he went very pale.

"We've got a visual on Harvey Dent. He has a hostage! I repeat: he has a hostage!" one of the policemen called into his radio. So they didn't know about me. Well, hopefully they can pull a plan together in about, oh, thirty-seconds. If I even lasted that long…

"That's right, and we're going to be leaving together." Two-Face snapped. He pressed the barrel harder against my skull, "Unless you want to scrape the kids' brains off of the elevator wall." He added threateningly. I winced and swallowed hard. My legs were shaking underneath me and I was afraid they'd give at any moment. _Any time now…_ I thought impatiently. The officers hesitated, taking in the situation. Some seemed on the edge of putting down their guns, while others looked at the commissioner for guidance. Feeling at a loss I turned to him as well. The commissioner didn't move. He was staring Harvey down, determination shining in his eyes and his gun still pointed at the unstable man. Finally he frowned, lowering his gun slightly.

"Commissioner?" one police officer inquired. The officer was a woman with dark raven hair, and the slightest hint of a Spanish accent. The commissioner shook his head, "We can't do anything without risking injury to the girl." He said solemnly. My face fell at his words and my stomach dropped to my knees. _What?_ They weren't going to do _anything_? No, they _had _to help me. They were cops, they were supposed to help- it was their job!

"That's what I thought. Now, clear a path!" Two-Face barked. The cops blocking the doorway looked at Harvey disdainfully as they moved aside. He shoved my shoulder harshly and together we started walking towards the door. The two men that were with him lingered for a second and trailed out of the elevator behind him, guns at the ready. It was silent in the lobby, save for the crackling voices over police radios. I walked forward in a zombie-like state, too dazed to really think straight. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. What happens next? Do they kill me, or let me go? Will they really kidnap me?

"Keep moving, kid." Two-Face snapped. I picked up my pace, trying to make eye-contact with any of the police officers around me- but they all looked away shamefully. Couldn't they at least _try _something? The woman with the raven hair looked at me sadly as I passed- the only cop to make eye contact with me. She then shot an angry glare at Two-Face. Her hands clenched around her gun, but she did nothing. The commissioner leaned over and whispered something to her and her face softened slightly before she nodded. We had just reached the door and were just about to step outside, when a voice caused me to come to a complete stop. Two-Face nearly tripped over me in my abruptness.

"Allie?" my mothers' panic stricken voice echoed in my ears. I desperately wanted to turn around to see her face, but Harvey still had a firm hold on my shoulder.

"I thought I told you to keep moving?" he growled, shoving me out the door. I fell roughly to the ground, snow biting harshly against my bare hands as I immediately pushed myself up. Just as I turned to run, Harvey roughly grabbed my upper arm, yanking me towards him. I could see my mother clearly now. Her eyes were wide and full of tears, and a hand covered her mouth. The raven haired woman was holding her back, and seemed to be trying to console her. Tires squealed behind me, but Harvey's grip on me prevented me from turning around.

I struggled to keep my mother in my sight as I was thrown into the car, Harvey jumping in after me. There were no side windows, but there was a rear-view window allowing a small stream of light into the car. I screamed and ducked as bullets pelted the car from police officers who had run outside after us. The back window shattered and I felt my stomach lurch as the car sped off down the street. The bullets stopped, and I peered out the now broken window. There were several cops standing in the middle of the street, staring after the car, an angry commissioner standing in the middle of them, gesturing in the direction the car had gone. But there was also one man I was surprised to see. Bruce Wayne was standing in the middle of all the chaos, his hands clenched by his sides, watching as the car drove away.

I gasped as a hand gripped my hair and threw me down to the floorboards. I glared up at Harvey Dent and his two goons, a sudden rage taking hold of me.

"What're we gonna do with her, boss?" the man in the white jumpsuit asked, taking off his mask. He had brown hair, which stuck up in random places due to the sweat that had formed while wearing the mask. He eyed me with curious chocolate brown eyes. He probably would have been cute had he not just helped kidnap me. Two-Face flipped his coin thoughtfully, staring down at me. I stared right back, the sudden rage fueling my probably foolish actions.

"If we keep her as a hostage, Batman will be sure to come after us." He said aloud. A flicker of hope lit inside of me at the prospect of being set free. Two-Face snatched his coin out of the air. "Then again, Batman's probably going to come after us anyway, and if we let her go, we won't have anything to use as leverage or distraction for escape." He added. The flicker of hope was instantly diminished. Harvey examined his coin closely for a moment, before returning his gaze back to me. He flipped the coin into the air and caught it as it came back down, slapping it onto the back of his other hand and looked at the result. I frowned and attempted to sit up in order to see, but Harvey had already flipped the coin back into the air. My frown deepened as I sat back down on the floorboard.

"Boss?" the man driving the car questioned. Two-Face looked at him.

"Take her to Jerry's." He ordered. The man nodded, and continued driving without another word. In fact, no one spoke for almost twenty minutes. Not that I minded, I mean, I am all for not having to talk to wanted criminals. However, being left alone with my own thoughts only served to make me even more anxious than I had been. I opened my mouth to ask exactly what was going on, but instead what came out was:

"So, what were you trying to steal?" Two-Face's eyes snapped to my face. Even I was surprised at my abruptness. Harvey stared at me for a moment before looking out the windshield again,

"It's got nothing to do with you, kid. Just shut up and sit there." He said. I frowned, crossing my arms.

"Allie." I retorted. Two-Face looked at me again, irritably.

"What?" he questioned. I grit my teeth, the rage still bottled up inside me.

"My name. It's not 'kid'. You asked, and I told you, it's Allie. So stop calling me 'kid'." I snapped. As soon as I closed my mouth I knew I was in for it. I was actually standing up to Two-Face about my stupid name. All I wanted to say was, "I was just joking, kid is fine! I'm a kid, a really, really, _stupid_ kid! Yup, kid, that's me…" instead I sat there, staring at him stupidly, my mouth suddenly very dry. I'd probably just signed my own death certificate, if not asked for a beating. Harvey sat there and stared back at me for about five minutes. He raised his hand quickly and for a minute I thought he was going to slap me. I flinched, jerking away from him. Harvey kept his hand in the air as he leaned down towards me.

"That was your first warning. Mouth off again, and I won't be so nice. Got it?" He growled. I nodded shakily. Two-Face leaned back in his seat, and continued staring straight ahead, his arms crossed. I hugged my knees to my chest, the angry feeling from earlier now gone, and instead replaced with hollow, drained feeling. We continued driving for another thirty minutes before we finally reached our destination. He opened his door and looked at me.

"Get out." He ordered. I stared at him. Was he letting me go? Two-Face sighed and got out his gun, "Why do you keep making me repeat myself, kid? _Get_. _Out_." He ordered angrily, pointing his gun right between my eyes. I scrambled out of the car as fast as I could.

"Go inside, tell them Harvey sent you." Two-Face ordered. I pursed my lips,

"What's going to stop me from running away?" I inquired. Harvey raised an eyebrow,

"Do you have any idea where you are?" he asked. Looking around, I couldn't help but frown. Absolutely nothing looked familiar. We were somewhere in downtown Gotham, near the docks, that much I knew. A lot of drug-dealers and mobsters did their dirty work here, so I'd never had any particular desire to come. "That's what I thought." Harvey retorted, "You run off on your own down here, and you're as good as dead. More so than if you listen to me. Now, be a good girl and go inside." He added sarcastically. I frowned, turning to the building in front of me. It looked like the outside of a club you'd see in some old 1920s Noir movie. The car was still sitting behind me, and since I didn't want to test Harvey's patience any more than I already had, I hurried inside. As soon as I shut the door I peered out the window, waiting for the car to drive off down the road.

"Hey!" I jumped as a gruff voice yelled behind me. Turning, I saw a short, but extremely muscular man in a suit stalking towards me. "You need somethin'?" he demanded.

"N-Nope, just got lost!" I squeaked, bolting out the door before the man could get any closer. As soon as both feet were planted on the sidewalk, I sped off in the opposite direction of "Jerry's". I didn't care if I didn't know where the heck I was, or if there were drug dealers and gangsters lurking around- being lost was better than being in the hands of Two-Face.

I could hear water in the distance and ran towards it. If I followed the bank towards the city, I should eventually end up in familiar surroundings or at least run across coast-guard or something. I sank to my knees when I finally reached the water bank, panting at the long distance sprint my body wasn't used to. The wind blowing off of the water nipped at my face, blowing my hair off of my shoulders. Snow had started to flurry down from the sky, settling down cozily on the rocks around me. I shivered and rubbed my arms furiously in an attempt to keep warm. What a strange day this turned out to be. All because I couldn't wait to go get my stupid phone…

A large grin spread across my face. Reaching into my back pocket I pulled out my cell phone and kissed the black plastic. I looked around quickly for something to give me a general area of where I was, and saw a sign on an old abandoned bait shop that read **_RJ's Bait & Tackle_**. I flipped open my phone and had just started to push the numbers 9-1-1, when my eyes flickered to the corner of the phone. My heart sank as I realized I had no service. Stupid, crappy service-plan… I stretched my arm up as high as I could in an attempt to get some sort of signal. I even started walking around on tip-toe, hoping it would help. A large grin spread happily across my face when I saw two bars pop up in the corner of the screen.

I don't know if any of you have ever tried, but it's really hard to walk on tip-toe, and it's especially hard when you're not watching where you're going. So, it was no surprise that I ran smack dab into what felt like a brick wall, sending me to the ground with a yelp. I watched in horror as my phone flew from my hands and slammed into a particularly large rock, causing it to snap in two and the screen half to plop into the water.

"_No!_" I practically screamed. I crawled forward and cradled the pieces in my hands. There went one of my only chances to get home safely. Tears sprang to the corners of my eyes, and I dared to ask: Could this day _get _any worse?

"Hey, kid. What do you think you're doing here?" A deep, surly voice called after me. Wow. I guess it could. I turned around slowly and my eyes widened, my breath hitching in my throat at what I saw. But, who could blame me? I mean not many people lived to tell of their encounter with Killer Croc.


	3. Chapter 3

_**CHAPTER 3**_

I crawled backwards slowly. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and my fingers slowly numbed as I came in contact with the cold water of Gotham Bay. Killer Croc was huge, probably seven feet tall, and covered in scales. He didn't have a shirt on, revealing the rippling, toned muscles of his torso and arms, and tattered sweatpants hung loosely from his legs. Rows of sharp teeth protruded from his mouth and reptilian yellow eyes regarded me suspiciously. I'd seen him several times on the news and, all in all, he was more terrifying in real life than he was on TV. I was so distracted by his appearance that I almost forgot he'd asked me a question.

"I-I… I'm sorry, I was just… I was with my mom and then I got lost and…" I stammered, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation- although I doubt he would have listened even if I had come up with a good excuse. Thinking back I'm not even sure if Croc could understand what I was saying, seeing as I was pretty much mumbling and all of my words seemed to run together anyway. Croc glared at me with his angry yellow eyes,

"Forget it. I don't even really care why you're here." He growled. "All I know is that I'm hungry and you picked the wrong place to be." He added threateningly, stalking towards me. I scrambled to stand up, cursing under my breath as I slipped on ice and crashed down into the water. I gasped as the water seemed to snatch me in an icy embrace, soaking my clothes and effectively chilling me to the bone. I let out a scream as Croc grabbed my arm and jerked me out of the water.

"Let go of me!" I commanded. Croc just laughed at my futile attempts to escape his iron grasp. "You better listen to me, I… I… I know Two-Face!" I yelled at him. I don't know why I say things sometimes. The whole, "When in doubt, shut your mouth" thing just never really stuck with me, I guess. Croc stopped laughing and looked at me curiously. Maybe this wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be…

"Really?" he asked, intrigued. I nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, he's waiting for me to meet him. He'll be upset if I'm not there soon." I threatened. Croc studied me for a moment, not even trying to hide a smile, before asking,

"Thought you were with your mom?" I blinked at him slowly. I'd been caught in a rather dumb lie.

"I was… She's with him. I got lost and I was trying to call her." I attempted to cover my blunder. Croc stared at me for a moment before he busted out laughing.

"You really expect me to buy that?" he snickered. My face flushed with embarrassment. "That's the sorriest story I've ever heard!" he roared, "And did you really expect _me _to be afraid of that Two-Faced, coin flipping-?" I didn't wait for him to finish his sentence as I lashed out at him with my leg. He was caught off guard and I fought a satisfied smile when my leg struck right between his. He let out an "Oof!" and dropped me back into the water, the iciness sending a shock through my body. It took maybe a split second for me to land, jump up, and then take off sprinting away from the water in an adrenaline fueled frenzy. I didn't look back to see if he was following me, but considering I'd probably angered him I was pretty positive he would be. Sure enough, I hadn't even managed to reach the street before two rough hands clamped down on my arms, causing me to cry out in pain.

"You little brat!" Killer Croc hissed. My heart was pounding. I was certain he was going to kill me… "You'll pay for that later." He added. My eyes widened. _Later_? the word rang in my head. "Until then, I need you alive. I've got a score to settle with Two-Bit, and I need you to help me get even." He chuckled. What was I, some sort of currency or blackmail? "If you back off, I'll give you an Allie!" Geez…

I was visibly shaking now, both from the cold and out of fear. Killer Croc's sharp nails dug into my arm as he lifted me up off of the ground and tossed me over his shoulder. He started walking back towards the docks.

"If you start struggling or cause me any problems, I won't hesitate to kill you. I can always get back at Harvey some other way." He growled. I nodded absentmindedly, even though I knew Croc couldn't see me. I lay limply over his shoulder, having lost all energy to fight him in the cold. If I was lucky, maybe I'd die of hypothermia before Croc got the chance to kill me. Sighing, I allowed my head to hang over Killer Croc's shoulder.

_Well, Allie, what are you going to do now? _

I gasped as I was thrown to the ground for the third time that day. It was really starting to get on my nerves. What was worse was the fact that the floor I'd been thrown on was made of solid cement. This wouldn't have been so bad, other than the fact that it was winter, which in turn made the cement ice cold, and my clothes were now soaking wet with ice water. I'd definitely catch hypothermia- or pneumonia- or both! - If I didn't get warm soon. I huddled in the corner of the room, shivering. I rubbed my hands up and down the sides of my arms quickly, hoping to bring some heat to them. I was forced to stop at the stinging sensation that shot up and down both of my arms. I blanched as I looked down and noticed that my hands were covered with blood. Killer Croc's nails had dug five holes in both of my arms from where he had gripped me so tightly, and crimson leaked freely from the open wounds. Yep, I was definitely going to die. I wiped my now bloody hands on my pants and yawned. Being taken hostage, running, threatened to be eaten, more running, and then being taken hostage again can really take a lot out of a person. Go figure. I sighed as I hugged my knees to my chest. I was close to dozing off before I shook myself awake. I couldn't fall asleep. If I fell asleep, I was sure to die.

"Cold?" Croc inquired sarcastically. I shot him a glare from where I sat but said nothing. He chuckled and turned, walking towards the exit.

"I'm going to pay your 'friend' a visit. I'll be sure and say hello to your mom if I see her." He teased, patting his stomach with a scaly hand and sending me a mischievous grin over his shoulder that showed off his razor like teeth. My eyes widened at his implication and I stood up slowly in the now empty room, Killer Croc's dark laugh echoing off of the walls as the lock on the door clicked into place behind him. I stood there, shaking, for about five minutes until I was positive he was gone, then I turned and started looking around the room. There _had_ to be a blanket in here or _something_. Killer Croc's "lair" was in the abandoned **_RJ's Bait and Tackle _**I had seen when I was about to call the police. The room Croc had thrown me in was in the very back of the small store, where the bait would most likely have been. There were several racks and metal shelves stocked with containers of old bait, and what looked like it used to be a rat at some point hidden behind one of the shelves (I didn't exactly look close enough to find out) but there was nothing I could use that would get me warm. I was quickly losing feeling in my toes as well as other parts of my body, I decided set out through the door Croc had gone through to the front of the store. It took a few tries since Killer Croc had locked the door and it was all but rusted shut anyway, but the buildings age got the better of it and the door eventually swung open.

I poked my head out of the back room cautiously, paranoid that Croc was actually still here somewhere. When I was positive he was gone I walked out of the back room. I scavenged the shelves in the store for a few minutes before I finally managed to find a wool blanket shoved to the very back on one of the practically barren shelves of the store. It smelled musty and was moth-eaten and worn, but it would keep me warm which was all I was really worried about. I wrapped the blanket around my body and relished in the warmth it brought. Eager for more, I began searching the store for other items I could wear.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dick Grayson watched Killer Croc leave the small bait shop from his perch on the building above the rogue. He was wearing a trench coat and hat, a poor disguise for someone who stuck out so well. Where was he going? Dick adjusted his mask. It was different from the one he had worn when he was Robin, but fit well, as did his new uniform. Both were still going to take some getting used to. He hadn't had the Nightwing identity for long; probably only for a few months now. It was a little different not fighting with Batman, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He had decided to take on Downtown Gotham, where most of the scum of the city hid. It would be good experience.

He crept along the edge of the building, watching Croc's every move. He stopped, flattening himself against the roof, when Croc looked around to make sure he wasn't being followed. He counted to ten, and then slowly rose to a crouch. Killer Croc was walking again, at a leisurely pace now that he was sure that no one was following him. Dick couldn't help but smile to himself. He was pretty good at going solo, if he said so himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I sighed with relief and snuggled deeper into the blanket around my shoulder for warmth. I was really surprised, but I'd managed to find an old pair of sweatpants and a light gray, long sleeved shirt- both of which were about three sizes too big and had moth-eaten areas on them, as well. Scrounging around the rest of the shop I found a pair of thick wool socks, and a Sentinel Thermal jacket. Maybe the store hadn't been abandoned for very long, if they were carrying _The North Face_ apparel… There were no shoes left at all- so I sat in the corner with my Toms, hanging them off of a shelf with some fishing wire and waiting for them to drip dry. There was no telling how long that was going to take. I wrung them out as best I could, before stringing them up again. I couldn't keep the clothes I was wearing on as they were soaking wet and would only serve to get the dry clothes I'd found wet, as well; so I had scurried back to the room Croc had been keeping me in to stay out of sight of any pedestrians walking by as I changed.

So there I sat. Cold (but warmer than I had been) and alone in an abandoned bait shop while I watched a pair of shoes drip dry and wondered what to do next.

"My, my. Don't _you _look pitiful?" A voice purred from the broken window. My head snapped up, and I was ready to grab my shoe and chuck it at the speaker. But when I saw who it was I froze.

"Catwoman?" I questioned. The masked woman offered me a sweet smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**_I'm really not okay with the turnout of this chapter. No matter how many times I wrote/re-wrote it, I just wasn't happy with it.  
>Maybe I'm just being picky, but despite my own displeasure, I hope you enjoy it anyway.<em>**

**_Thank you for all the encouragement and reviews! I appreciate them :) _**

_**CHAPTER 4**_

Nightwing scaled the building in front of him with ease. Once he reached the roof, he hopped lightly to his feet and crept over to the sky light. He had seen Killer Croc stop outside of the old abandoned courthouse and look around briefly before waltzing inside. The only thing bothering Dick now was, why? What could Killer Croc have hidden in or have to gain from a court house? Of all places, Dick assumed a courtroom would be the place he hated the most. Nightwing peered into the dimly lit room below him. The glass of the sky light was covered in grime and dirt, making it even harder to see. There were voices below, and Dick had to place his ear to one of the tiny cracks in the glass in order to hear properly.

"What do you mean she's _gone?_" a voice boomed. Dick leaned closer, rubbing away some dirt with his gloved hand for a better view. He raised a brow in surprise and confusion when he saw Harvey Dent standing in front of the jury seats, releasing his fury upon a skinny man in a black biker jacket. Croc was meeting with Two Face? _I thought they hated each other..?_ Nightwing thought to himself. The man standing in front of him flinched,

"S-sorry, boss. We went back to Jerry's just like you told us to, and he said that a girl had been in there, but bolted right back out before he could get to her." _Girl? What girl?_ Dick wondered to himself. Harvey grabbed fistfuls of the man's shirt and pulled him closer so that their faces were only inches apart,

"That girl is the only thing standing between us and a cell in Arkham. We don't have her, we got nothing to use for leverage when the Bat shows up." He growled, shoving the man away angrily.

"That doesn't have to be a problem." A gruff voice piped up cockily. Nightwing shifted his gaze to the new voice and saw Killer Croc drop three of Two-Face's men to the floor, before removing his hat and coat.

"What're you doing here Croc?" Two-Face questioned. Waylon gave Harvey a toothy grin.

"That's some way to treat a guest. And after I was just going to try and help you. I found a girl wandering the streets a little while ago, and she said she knew you." Croc said slyly. Two-Face grit his teeth. "But, if she really means nothing to you, I guess I can just kill her after all." He added darkly, turning to leave. Harvey narrowed his eyes in thought. Was the girl really worth that much? It may not even be the same girl… He could use other ways to get Batman off of his trail… Then again, the Bat always seemed more distracted when there was a hostage involved. Harvey took out his coin, looking at the scratched side. _I let her die…_ this idea seemed the most appealing. The stupid brat was causing more trouble than she was worth. But, still, he had to ask the coin what he should do. It wasn't up to him to decide the girl's fate. He turned the coin to the clean side. _I get her back, use her, and _then_ let her die._ He thought to himself. A less appeasing idea, but, he still got rid of her in the end. Harvey tossed the coin in the air and caught it as it came back down. He slapped it onto the back of his opposite hand, frowning.

"Hold it, Croc." Harvey called after the lizard man. Waylon stopped in front of the doorway and turned his head towards Two-Face. "Maybe we can come to some sort of an agreement." Harvey grumbled. Killer Croc gave him a sardonic smile.

"I knew you would see things my-!" Harvey jumped and Nightwing watched in curiosity as Killer Croc was punched forcefully in the jaw and sent spiraling to the floor. Dick squinted through the grimy window towards the doorway, and frowned as Batman stepped out of the shadows.

"Where's the girl, Harvey?" his commanding voice echoed throughout the large courtroom. Dick sighed, irritated. Did he have to barge in now? _It's not like I don't have things under control._ He was going to go in after he heard what Two-Face's proposition was for Croc, then follow Waylon back to his hide out to get this girl they kept talking about. Oh well, better late than never. Nightwing smashed the glass with the heel of his boot and jumped down from the skylight. Batman looked over at him, and Harvey whirled around in shock. He knew Batman was surprised to see him, though he never showed it on his face. He was always good at hiding emotions. Harvey, however, looked extremely angry.

"_Kill 'em both_!" he yelled. No sooner had he said it, ten men entered the room. Three were armed with machine guns and the rest were armed with crowbars and baseball bats. Batman leapt into the rows of seats to his right and Nightwing scrambled behind the witness' stand as the three men started shooting. He could barely hear a familiar whistling noise over the gunfire and smirked when one of the guns stopped shooting and the man yelped in pain. Batman had evidently taken one man out with a Batarang. He wasn't the only one with special equipment. Dick took out one of his own specially designed shuriken and threw it over the stand skillfully. It struck its target and another gunman stopped shooting. Two down, one to go. Quickly Nightwing whipped out another shuriken and stood up to throw it, only to freeze with his arm in the air. Batman had just taken out the third gunman and was now making his way towards the seven thugs left.

"I had him!" Nightwing exclaimed, frowning.

"You were too slow." Batman replied simply. He ducked as a thug took a swing at him with a crowbar and punched the goon in the gut. The man stumbled backwards but continued his advance and took another swing at Batman's head. Batman caught the crowbar and this time punched the man in the face with enough force to render him unconscious. Dick smiled to himself. It was always amazing to see how swiftly Batman could take out his opponents. Not that he'd ever admit it. Nightwing jumped back as a man swung at him with a baseball bat. One good thing, the man's stance was terrible. Smirking, Nightwing fell to the ground and swung his legs around knocking the man off of his feet. He jumped up and kicked another man in the head as he came running towards him. A third, more muscular man snuck up behind him and wrapped his arms around Nightwing's neck.

"Night, night, little birdie." The man hissed. Dick clawed at the man's arm in an attempt to break free. He was losing air fast. Finally deciding to give up in this evidently pointless struggle, Dick gripped the thug's arm tightly. Then, using as much force as he could muster, Nightwing flipped the man over his shoulder. He smirked to himself as the thug's head smacked on the ground, rendering him unconscious, and whirled around ready to take on more of Two-Face's goons. Only to find that Batman had already successfully taken the rest of them out. The man couldn't have left him more than three thugs? Dick frowned and started making his way over to his old mentor as he looked around the room.

"Where's Harvey?" he questioned. Batman looked over to the left side of the room where an emergency exit was located in the corner, partially open.

"He slipped out in the commotion. There's not much time, I need to- _gah!_" Batman exclaimed as he was hit in the back by a chair. Nightwing took on a fighting stance as he saw Killer Croc coming towards them.

"I've been having a bad day, Batman, so I'm _really_ going to enjoy this." He said darkly, cracking his knuckles. Batman stood up slowly, reaching his hand out to the chair that had just been thrown at him. He gripped it tightly and waited until Croc was close enough before swinging the chair around. It collided with the side of Croc's head and he stumbled backwards. Batman tossed the chair to the side and punched Croc in the jaw. Croc countered with a right hook that sent Batman flying backwards. Dick ran and jumped onto Waylon's back, hooking his arm around the scaly man's neck. Croc grabbed Nightwing's arms and threw him over his head with ease, smirking as the young crusader slammed into the wall. Batman picked up another chair and threw it at the rogue. Killer Croc laughed and caught the chair with one arm. Quickly, Batman threw another chair and Croc caught that one with his other free arm.

"This is really pathetic, Batman." He growled, "I expected more from you." He added with a sneer. Batman reached into his utility belt and threw a Batarang with lightning speed. Croc caught the flying contraption in his mouth and laughed heartily.

"Is that really all you've-!" Batman watched as Killer Croc's taunt was cut short by the two thousand volts of electricity that were sent coursing through him from the Batarang. Croc's mouth opened and the Batarang fell, clattering to the floor; Croc following soon after. Batman walked over to Croc cautiously, leaning down to make sure he was unconscious. Once he was positive, he made his way over to Nightwing. He stood by and watched as the boy slowly made his way to a standing position, holding his head warily.

"Care to explain what the heck is going on?" he demanded once he was on his feet.

"Harvey kidnapped a fifteen year old girl today. She was the daughter of an employee of Bruce Wayne's…" Batman stated simply. Nightwing frowned,

"And that's the only reason you were after him?" he inquired. Batman said nothing, confirming his suspicions. "That's what I thought." He breathed. "You're not going to tell me what the other thing is, are you?" he asked.

"No." Batman stated. Dick nodded and stood there for a moment, running a hand through his hair. He froze when he remembered what Croc had said earlier. He had said he'd found a girl that knew Two-Face… Could this be the same girl? Nightwing turned to inform the older crusader, when:

"It's nothing you should concern yourself with. Batgirl and I can handle this." Batman said as he started walking away. Dick's eyes widened and he bit his tongue. He watched his mentor with distaste as he got out his grapple and aimed it for the broken skylight.

"But, should you hear anything more about the girl's whereabouts, or Harvey's, let me know." Batman added over his shoulder. Nightwing forced a smile and nodded,

"You got it." He said through clenched teeth. Batman eyed him for a moment, "Good luck with your solo training." Was all he said before grappling to the roof of the old courthouse. Nightwing glared at the place where Batman had been. So, he knew he'd been coming here to train? Dick clenched his fists as he headed towards the emergency exit of the courthouse. He was too frustrated, his head too clouded to grapple out properly. The girl was obviously being held at Croc's lair, where else would he hide her? He'd find the girl, use her help to find Harvey, and show Batman just how far he'd come.


	5. Chapter 5

_**So, my laptop- er, tablet I guess- has been acting up lately. I think it's fixed as of now, but if it keeps acting up I may have to return it for a new one. Which sucks, because most of Nightingale is on it and I'm pretty far-along with the changes I wanted to make :/ I also have a lot of other stories I was wanting to post on it. Fingers crossed I don't have to get a new one! xC**_

_CHAPTER 5_

I eyed the woman before me cautiously. I'd heard stories about Catwoman on the News; how she'd help Batman save Gotham one day and then robbed a museum or art gallery the next. I was always confused, was she a bad guy or not? Was she technically a vigilante, or just crazy like everyone else? More importantly, what was she doing here?

"So, this is where Croc-y keeps his loot?" Catwoman announced, hopping in through the broken window and sauntering around the run down shack, a black leather satchel at her side. I pursed my lips and shrugged,

"I doubt it. All I've seen in here so far are some rats and moldy bait." I shuddered. I don't know why, but, I didn't feel as scared around the older woman. I mean, I know she could be just as dangerous as any other rogue in Gotham, and that made me nervous, but, I wasn't _scared_ of her. Maybe I should have been, but I wasn't. It may have been the fact that she only seemed to hold ill-will for those who abused animals, or the fact that she seemed to be the only infamous person I met today who had yet to threaten me in the first five seconds of our meeting. Either way, for the first time that night, I felt somewhat at ease. Catwoman surveyed practically every inch of the small shop before she stopped by a tall, metal rack with a large sign above it. A small smirk found its way on her porcelain features as she examined the wall around the rack, running a gloved hand along the crumbling brick of the wall. The edges of the sign were worn, and the letters were beginning to fade, but I could still read the bolded letters: **_Everything must go! All items 50% off! _**It must have been placed there when the store was closing.

"That's true, but he left _you_ here. He must have thought you'd be safe from prying eyes." She stated simply. _A horrible decision, really._ I thought sarcastically. Why did people insist on leaving me alone? I only got myself into trouble. A thought struck me and I shifted nervously. "So… You didn't come to, I don't know, save me, by chance. Did you?" Catwoman turned to stare at me. She frowned before shaking her head, "Sorry, kid," she began, "but I was really just following Croc. Finding you here was just a coincidence." She shrugged.

I nodded and looked to the opposite wall, my eyes burning from holding back frustrated tears. The events of the day were finally starting to bear down on me. But, events aside, I resolved that I wouldn't cry while there was someone else in the room. I wouldn't cry. I wouldn't- _dang it!_ I thought bitterly to myself as a few tears slipped down my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly before Catwoman could notice and tried to pull myself together.

As I was trying to keep myself from having a mental breakdown, Catwoman bumped the rack with her hip and it fell with an ear splitting crash. I jumped, startled by the noise, and bit my lip nervously. I was half expecting Killer Croc to come running back to the shack and tear both of us to shreds. There was no telling when he would be back, and if he were on his way now, he could very well have heard the noise.

Ignoring the part of my mind that was telling me to duck and hide, I inched closer to where Catwoman stood. The fading sign had fallen with the rack, it must have been attached, and behind it was a gaping hole. My eyes widened as I inched even closer and saw that there were hundred dollar bills, along with several jewels and other expensive looking items shoved carelessly into the wall behind the sign.

"Waylon never was too bright." Catwoman purred smugly, sifting through the treasure pile. I rubbed at my arm awkwardly, the marks left by Killer Croc's nails were beginning to throb and itch but they hurt too badly to actually touch. Flinching from the pain that was repeatedly pulsing through my arm, I watched as diamond after freakishly large diamond was picked up, examined, and ultimately tossed aside. The whole time, Catwoman had this thoughtful look on her face, as if she were debating something. After a few more minutes of rummaging Catwoman paused, sighed, and looked over at me with an indecisive look on her face.

"I'd like to help you, sweetheart, really, but…" she started, and I waited for her excuse. She rubbed her head in thought before heaving an exasperated sigh. After that she silently resumed rummaging through Croc's loot. She must have found what she was looking for because she practically jumped into the hole as she reached into the far corner. Finally, she came back out with a golden cat statue. I stared at it in wonder.

The cat itself was sculpted from smooth, glittering gold, into a sitting position with its head held high. Its eyes were made of two small emeralds, and a ruby collar was draped elegantly around its neck. It was beautiful. I continued to stare at the statue until Catwoman stowed it in her black satchel and turned to me. "Grab what you can and shove it in your pockets. There's not enough room for much else in this." She stated, patting the leather bag containing the statue. I stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Do you want Killer Croc to waltz in and find us stealing from him? Hurry up before tall, mean and scaly comes back." She snapped, crossing her leather clad arms impatiently. I jumped at the order and hurried over to the wall. I froze halfway there and thought for a moment. "_Us_"?

"Wait, so you're saying I can come with you?" I asked hopefully, my face lighting up. Catwoman placed a hand on her hip, her clawed gloves glittering dangerously in the light. "Not if you don't hurry up. I'd rather not have to get into a fight tonight, if you don't mind." She retorted. Nodding vigorously I scurried over to where all of the money and jewels were spilling over. I took large handfuls of the treasure and shoved them into the pockets of my jacket and sweatpants. When I couldn't carry any more I grabbed my Toms from their spot in the corner and jammed them onto my feet before I turned and followed Catwoman out the window. Careful not to cut myself on the jagged pieces of broken glass, or lose any of the jewels that jangled around in my pockets, I swung my legs over the window sill and landed with a thud on the other side.

"Follow me." Catwoman directed as soon as I was standing. I did as ordered and together we sprinted across the street into an alley. I bit back a groan as my muscles cried out in protest. I was already pretty worn out from sprinting away from Two-Face's hideout and struggling against Killer Croc. I _really _didn't want to run anymore. I wasn't complaining, though. I'd rather be running with Catwoman than be stuck in that stupid bait shop. So, lungs burning, I took in a deep breath and ran after the masked woman as fast as I could. This was turning out to be a very long, very stressful, day…

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nightwing ran across the barren rooftops as fast as he could, the wind whipping his hair across his face. The girl had to be in the bait shop he'd seen Waylon come out of earlier. Where else would he stash her? As much as he wanted to save the girl to shove it in Batman's face, he also wanted to save her because it was… Well, basically the right and "heroic" thing to do. He smirked when he saw Killer Croc's hide out in the distance. Picking up his pace, Dick leaped off of the edge of the building he had been running on. He waited for a good gust of wind to come in from the bay before whipping out his suit's built in glider. Guiding himself carefully he slowly made his way over to the run-down shack. He nimbly landed a few feet away from the store and retracted his glider. Nightwing crouched down low and crept over to the store stealthily. Croc liked to work by himself, but you never knew what booby-traps he would have set up for trespassers. After searching the outside of the store thoroughly Nightwing headed over to a broken window and peered inside. Nothing inside looked like out of the ordinary, but you could never be too careful. Ripping off a chunk of the wood from the window pane Nightwing chucked it inside the building and ducked, waiting for an explosion or attack of some sort. Finally convinced that he wasn't going to be attacked Nightwing climbed in through the window and landed softly on the other side.

"Hello! Is someone in here?" Nightwing whispered. He felt a little silly, calling out and not knowing who he was calling for. He wished Batman would have told him her name. When he got no response, he crept further into the abandoned shop. Maybe Croc _had_ hidden the girl somewhere else… His eyes scanned the room repeatedly for any sign she had been there, stopping once on the pile of loot Croc had stored in a hole in the wall. He'd get back to that later. He continued looking around the room, his eyes finally landing on a pile of wet clothes in the corner. He walked over to the corner and picked up the clothes for closer examination. An old t-shirt, skinny jeans, and a pair of socks. What, was she running around naked? He mused as he set the clothes back down in the corner. _If she is, she's obviously not running around here… _he thought to himself. He took notice of the rack sitting on the floor next to the wall, and a sudden realization dawned on him. She'd obviously gotten something drier to wear, snatched some of Croc's loot, and escaped. Just great. How was he going to find her now? Getting out his camera and taking quick snapshots of the clothes and the loot to look at later, Nightwing headed back to the window.

Landing nimbly outside of the shop, Nightwing froze as something glistened in the light- more brightly than the snow that dusted the ground. Leaning down he noticed it was a diamond about the size of his thumb. He searched the ground for more jewels in the hopes that maybe there was a trail of them, but found none. He did, however, find that imbedded in the snow and soggy sand, were footprints. Not just one pair, but two. One pair were small, and the heels dug slightly into the ground. Judging by that and the design of the print, they were most likely women's boots, while the others were small and left a relatively smooth imprint in the snow. Nightwing grit his teeth as he took off in the direction the footsteps led. He was so close! Dick made a promise to himself then and there that he was going to find this girl, and he was going to find her if it took all night.

_**A/N**_

_**So, I really don't like writing from Dick's POV. I think when he and Allie finally meet up I'm going to stop writing it... I dunno, what do you guys think? Do you like hearing from his POV, or when they meet up do you care if his POV goes away and the story stays in Allie's perspective?**_


	6. Chapter 6

_CHAPTER 6_

I staggered after Catwoman, exhausted and practically incoherent. How long had we been running? Was it really night already? I hadn't even noticed the sun go down. At some point we had slowed from sprinting to jogging, but Catwoman was still a few feet ahead of me. I would stop occasionally to catch my breath and she would slow her pace a bit. She never came to a complete stop, though, and I'd always be forced to resume jogging.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" I questioned, stifling a yawn. Catwoman turned to me, annoyance plain on her face. "Because we just stole from a man who has an excellent sense of smell and will more than likely eat us as soon as he finds us." she retorted. I shuddered at the response but said nothing. I didn't really want to think about being eaten, thanks…

"By the way, what's your name?" Catwoman asked, looking over her shoulder at me. "I'm Allie." I answered tiredly. "Pretty. Call me Selina." she commented with a smile. I returned it as best as I could, but I was basically forcing my muscles to move at this point, so it probably came out as more of a grimace. We were both silent for about another ten minutes, my body going into auto pilot as my mind decided to take a break from reality. I jumped, startled, when I bumped into Selina's back. I was about to ask why we had stopped, since Selina seemed so keen on getting to her destination as soon as possible, but she held up a gloved hand to silence me. "Move!" she urged, pushing me back behind a dumpster. I raised a brow but did as instructed, kneeling down between the brick of the building beside us and pressing my back against the cold metal of the dumpster. I wrinkled my smell at the sour odor and fought the urge to vomit as I turned to Selina.

"When I get my hands on that girl, I'm gonna _kill_ her!" a very angry, very familiar voice echoed down the street. I felt the color drain from my face as I saw Two-Face walking down the sidewalk, two of his cronies close at his heels. He was flipping his coin angrily into the air, glaring at the road ahead. "She's caused more trouble for us than she's worth." He growled. Wait… Was he talking about me? …Seriously? He holds me hostage, kidnaps me, then leaves me alone in the middle of nowhere, and yet I've caused _him_ trouble? I grit my teeth in annoyance and inched closer to the edge of the dumpster.

"Yeah, but, at least the Bat didn't figure out we were trying to steal those chemicals from Wayne, right?" one of Two-Face's cronies piped up encouragingly. Harvey whirled on the man, grabbing a fist-full of his shirt and shoving the tip of his pistol to his temple. My eyes widened in worry and I held a hand to my mouth to stifle a gasp. I really did not want to add murder witness on to the list of reasons of why this day sucked. Selina leaned forward beside me, intrigued.

"Shut your trap, you _moron_!" Harvey snarled at the man, "D'you want every dirty cretin in Gotham's underbelly to know what we're up to?" he barked. The man was shaking so badly I could see his hands trembling from my hidden position across the street. He shook his head quickly and Harvey threw him roughly to the ground, where he crashed into some wooden crates. I winced at the odd angle his ankle landed in. He'd definitely feel that later…

"We gotta find that girl. And this time I'm not gonna use her for anything. This time, that kid is gonna pay." Harvey said calmly, pulling out his coin and flipping it in the air again. I leaned against the cool metal of the dumpster behind me, wide eyed. Harvey Dent was talking about killing me. Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, wanted me dead. And he was willing to hunt me down in order to do it.

My head was spinning, the events of the day crashing down on me with this final blow. The last thing I remembered was the feel of the icy concrete on my face, and Selina's anxious whispers, before my world went black.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nightwing crouched down close to the concrete, cursing silently under his breath. The snow had soaked the retreating pairs' shoes, leaving an easy trail for him to follow. Not to mention the occasional jewel he'd find along the way. The only problem now was that it was too dark to see and the trail was probably drying; if not already dry. Taking out a portable, mini flashlight from his utility belt he shined it on the ground. He searched for a few minutes before he caught a glint of a small ruby and picked up the trail again.

_I'm coming… Hang in there._

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I awoke to darkness and a throbbing in my head. I was lying on a soft, cushioned surface, and something warm and heavy was lying on top of my stomach. I waited for my eyes to adjust before I started to sit up. I froze and stared at the pair of yellow eyes glistening in the moonlight on my stomach. It took a moment for me to register the fact that it was a cat, and not Killer Croc come to exact his revenge. The cat was as black as ink and its bright yellow eyes watched me distastefully, having been abruptly awoken from its nap. The feline gave a half-hearted meow before standing up on my stomach. It arched its back, sinking its claws into my skin as it did so, and I swear I saw it give a satisfied smirk when I winced.

I watched as the cat jumped down, uninterested in its resting spot now that it had woken up. I sat up slowly on the soft couch, taking in my surroundings. I was in an apartment. It was nice and tidy with little knick-knacks here and there, mostly of cats. An end table connected to the couch with a vase of white roses, and a few paintings of foreign countries lined the walls- mostly of large, wild cats. I stood up, ignoring the pain in my head that had extended down my arms as I walked curiously around the room. I wouldn't exactly consider this prying. I mean, why set something out if you don't want it to be seen, right?

I walked over to a shelf with several small cat-statues and admired them in turn. As I scanned over the miniature felines, I spotted a picture frame shoved in the corner of the shelf. It was the only thing that truly seemed disorganized in the apartment. It was lying face down, and a thick layer of dust covered its surface. Arching a brow I reached for the frame, careful not to knock over any of the statues. I blew some of the dust away and wiped the rest of it off with the hem of my shirt. I looked at the picture and my eyebrows rose in surprise. It was of a pretty woman with short black hair standing next to Bruce Wayne.

The two were smiling at the camera, and both were holding on to a pair of large scissors, which they were using to cut a long scarlet ribbon in front of them. Behind them was a vast savannah like landscape with a large, two storied, white building. Large photos of Cheetahs and Lions were placed behind the pair, and I came to the conclusion that it must have been the opening of some sort of Animal Preserve. It was a good picture, and I couldn't help but wonder why it had been shoved to the very back of the shelf.

"Oh good, you're awake." I nearly dropped the picture frame as a voice echoed through the empty room. I calmed my racing heart and turned to Selina, who was smiling at me. She had changed out of her normal thieving attire and had chosen more comfortable clothing to wear. A powder blue nightdress clung to her petite frame, and a matching powder blue robe was draped over her shoulders. She bore a striking resemblance to the woman in the photo, and so I assumed it must have been her.

"And I see you've met Isis." She said, leaning down to stroke the black cat as it rubbed against her ankles. "How long was I out?" I asked as I set the frame back on the shelf. Selina looked at the picture curiously, and something flashed in her eyes but vanished as soon as it had come. She shrugged, looking up at the clock on the wall. "About two hours, maybe?" she said. I nodded slowly and stared at my hands for a moment. Finally, I looked up and gave a weak smile,

"Thanks for saving me… Twice. I really appreciate it." I thanked her. Selina smirked at me, "You better. I broke a nail off of my suit back there trying to grab you before you hit the ground." She said teasingly. I let out a chuckle as Selina walked into the room. She held a hand to my forehead and smiled thoughtfully. "Your fever has gone down, so that's good news. Here, change into these. They'll keep you warm and should fit you better than what you're wearing now." She said, eyeing me critically as she handed me a small bundle of clothing.

"And take a shower while you're at it. You smell like a fish." Selina added, her nose crinkling to emphasize her point. I rolled my eyes but took the clothes gratefully and headed into the bathroom to change. As I pulled off the top I'd been wearing I couldn't help but hiss as a dull pain was sent shooting through my arms. I looked down and instantly paled. Five gaping holes glared back at me. The area around them was irritated, red, and puffy, with a clear liquid seeping out of them. Dried blood was caked in random spots up and down my arm and I cringed. Maybe the blood-loss was why I felt so fatigued. I cursed Killer Croc with every word I could think of as I scrounged around the bathroom for a rag and some antiseptic. Surely Selina kept them in her bathroom somewhere, for, I don't know, heists that went wrong or something.

After opening all the cabinets and looking in the small closet, I finally found a first aid kit hidden under the sink. I sat down on the toilet and began cleaning the wound cautiously, trying to clean as best as I could without actually touching the area too much. Antiseptic on an open wound hurts. Bad. I knew I needed something sterile to clean it with, though, otherwise it'd get infected. I bit her lip to keep from screaming as the antiseptic came in contact with the wounds and sent a painful stinging sensation shooting through my arm. After I was done cleaning my left arm, I took a deep breath and turned to my other arm, gritting my teeth as I prepared to repeat the process. Man, this day just flat out sucked.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Dick cursed under his breath for the umpteenth time that night. The trail had led him all the way to an alley, and then disappeared. He had absolutely no idea where they could have possibly gone. There were no doors, no manholes leading to the sewer, nothing. He frowned, shaking his head. No, there had to be something. There was always a clue, no matter how big or small. Nightwing searched the alley thoroughly for about thirty minutes, before he finally stopped. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and leaned against a dumpster behind him, crossing his arms. Something fell from the dumpster with a small _clink_ and Dick leaned down to pick it up in curiosity. The object was small and metal, resembling a cat's claw. And that's when it hit him.

"Catwoman." Her name seethed between his teeth. Nightwing gripped the nail tightly in his fist. He'd been to her apartment before as Robin- whenever Batman went to ask Selina questions. He remembered where the she lived, not too far from where he was now, actually. With a newfound determination he took off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I sighed in relief, finally finished with the agonizing process. I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. I couldn't help but cringe. My once curly hair was matted and tangled in clumps. Mud, grime, and blood were smeared across my face, and dark circles were starting to form under my eyes. I looked like a complete and total mess. Frowning, I placed the rest of my old clothes in a pile. I stopped for and stared at the pile for a minute. For the first time, I actually thought about why there had been clothes in there. Yes some of them were worn, but there was even a somewhat new jacket in there. So, why…? "_Because we just stole from a man with an excellent sense of smell and will more than likely __**eat **__us as soon as he finds us._" Selina's voice echoed in my head. I shuddered in realization and practically jumped into the shower. My muscles relaxed immediately under the heat and pressure of the water. I stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling the shower brought, before reaching for a bottle of shampoo. I gave an audible sigh of relief as the dirt and grime was scraped from my skull and hair. I let out an audible sigh as I massaged my scalp. It feels really good to be clean.

ooooo

I finished wiping Neosporin on my wounds before I wrapped them in gauze. They didn't hurt as much now that they were clean, but they still throbbed, reminding me that they were there. I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail on the back of my head before giving myself an once-over in the mirror. Selina had given me a light blue sweater and a pair of thick, black sweatpants with wool lining on the inside. The sweater was a little loose, but otherwise the clothes fit me fine. Satisfied, I walked back into the room where I'd left Selina, but slowed as I heard voices coming from the same room I'd left.

"Alright, Selina. Where is she?" a firm voice rang out. I walked on tip-toe to the doorway, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation. Had one of Two-Face's goons come looking for me? My heart raced at the thought. I peered around the corner and my eyes widened. A tall boy with ink black hair stood in Selina's living room. He didn't look that much older than me, but it was hard to tell with the mask he was wearing. He had on a black one-piece suit with a bright blue bird painted across his chest. I didn't recognize him, and assumed he was some new rogue in Gotham or something. Or… My eyes widened in fear. Had Two-Face hired someone to come find me? Was he really that determined to make me suffer? I hadn't even done anything! This was so stupid!

"Who?" Selina asked curiously, sitting down on her couch, and drawing me back into their conversation. The boy frowned at her, "You know exactly who I'm talking about." He retorted. Selina smiled at him, "You sound like your boss." She said slyly. The boy glared at her and Selina gave a broad smile. "Relax, Boy Wonder. She's in the bathroom." She said, stroking Isis as she jumped up next to her owner. My face went blank as I tried to make the connection. Boy Wonder? But… He didn't even _look_ like Robin! Finally, I'd had enough. I stepped out from around the corner and the boy's head snapped over to me. I eyed him curiously, not daring to move any closer.

"Who are you?" I questioned. He opened his mouth, but Selina spoke before him. "Allie, this is…" she paused, thinking, "Nightwing. He's a friend of mine." She said, smiling. I looked at Selina for a second before returning my gaze to Nightwing. "Hi…" I greeted awkwardly. "Hey." He replied, the corners of his lips twitched upwards. Selina crossed her legs and placing Isis on her lap said softly,

"He's here to take you home."

_** A/N  
><span>**__**Dun dun duunnn! :D Well, they finally found each other.  
>I think I'm done writing in Dick's POV now.<br>I dunno, it all depends on my mood.  
>Sometimes I think "Oh, it'd be interesting to know what Dick thinks about this!"<br>and other times I'm like "Screw it, it's easier to write in Allie's POV :( "  
>But yeah, there it is :) Also, it's snowed like crazy here and I've been out of school ALL WEEK.<br>So, to cope with the boredom I've been editing this chapter, as well as working on another 's Vampire Knight related, if that interests anyone, so keep a look-out for it. I may post it soon,  
>I.E. tonight or tomorrow. It depends on whether I like the turn-out so far enough to post it.<br>But yeah, there's that :P  
>Oh, and stay safe everyone! I know it's snowed pretty bad in a lot of places, so be careful! :)<strong>_


	7. Chapter 7- Part 1

**_I feel like poop, you guys :S  
>I really wanted to get something out for you all this weekend, though, so I decided to cut chapter 7 in half and go ahead and publish this much. It's kind of boring, I'm sorry, but I really wanted you all to have something :S<em>**

_CHAPTER 7- Part 1_

My eyes widened and a bright smile stretched across my face. _Home!_ The word rang happily in my mind.

"Really?" I questioned Nightwing, taking another step into the room. This seemed too good to be true, and I had to make sure I heard Selina right. Nightwing hesitated a moment before nodding his head. My heart leapt with excitement and my smile stretched even wider.

"Then what are we waiting for? I'm ready, let's go!" I exclaimed. Nightwing frowned, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's not that simple." He said with a sigh. My heart dropped. My smile faltering slightly, I gave a nervous laugh in an attempt to hide my rising anxiety.

"W-What do you mean?" I asked. Nightwing scratched the back of his head,

"Well, there's just… Something we have to do first." He said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nightwing eyed the girl cautiously. She looked so fragile, like a porcelain doll. He was afraid if he said one wrong word she would shatter. Her eyes were the color of the sea, calm before the storm, and they regarded him cautiously, untrusting. Dick watched as she pushed back a golden curl that had come loose from her ponytail, and pursed her lips.

"And this 'thing' is?" she asked him suspiciously. He took a step towards her as he spoke,

"Two-Face attempted to steal something from Wayne Enterprises earlier today. He didn't succeed, but there's no doubt he'll try to steal it again. I need your help to find him so I can put a stop to whatever he's planning." He stated. Allie frowned at him, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Can't Batman do that?" she asked tiredly. Nightwing's jaw tightened at his former-mentor's name.

"_No_." he said it more harshly than he had intended and Allie jumped, startled. Selina gave him a questioning look, but said nothing as she continued to stroke Isis. Allie glared at him as she crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest,

"Then forget it. I've had enough of that maniac." She retorted, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "He's already threatened me more than once- in the same day- and I'd rather not find out if he actually meant the things he said. I'll just find some other way to get home, thank you." She snapped, plopping down on the couch next to Selina. She earned an annoyed look from Isis, but the feline closed its eyes and resumed purring as Selina ran her fingers down its spine. Dick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why was she being so difficult?

"Listen, Allie," he started, "all I need is to know where Harvey is hiding. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to. As soon as I find him, I promise, I'll get you home safe-and-sound." He said softly, trying to make sure she knew he meant it. Obviously the message sank in, because her expression softened and she bit her lip in thought. She was silent for a while, and Dick thought she was still going to deny him any help, but then,

"Okay." Her voice was barely a whisper. Dick released a breath and the corners of his lips twitched up in a smile. "Does it… I mean… Do we have to go _tonight_?" Allie added quickly. Dick stared at her, not understanding. A minute ago she had been ready to leave, in a hurry to get home. Where had that enthusiasm gone?

"Why not?" Nightwing questioned. Allie rubbed an arm, staring at the ground.

"I'm exhausted from running around all day. I just want to get some sleep before I do anything else." She said softly. Dick could tell she was lying, but he didn't press it.

"Okay." He nodded in agreement.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I nodded numbly, letting Nightwing know I'd heard him. I really didn't want to go at all, to be honest. I was terrified of having to be anywhere near Two-Face again, especially after what I'd overheard earlier. However, I also didn't want to get home and have to worry about Harvey possibly finding out where I lived. At least if I helped Nightwing I'd feel safer knowing that the rogue was behind bars.

"There's a spare bedroom down the hall. You can sleep there." Selina said softly. I nodded again and stood up slowly, my muscles screaming in protest. All I wanted to do was rest. I should really start exercising more…

I headed down the hall towards the spare bedroom. I could hear Nightwing and Selina start up a conversation behind me, but I was too tired to care. Once I was inside the room, I closed the door and flung myself on the bed.

The smell of lilac assaulted my nose and I buried my head deep into the plush-pillow below me. Wow, Selina had really good taste. Sighing contentedly, I wrapped slipped under the covers and allowed myself to relax. I wanted to sleep, really, I felt absolutely exhausted. But I just couldn't seem to make myself do it. There was a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, and it crept all the way up to the back of my head.

What if Two-Face manages to get a hold of me when Nightwing confronts him? What if we run in to Killer Croc on our way to find Harvey? My arms throbbed at the thought, and I moaned in frustration. I tossed and turned for about thirty minutes, just wishing I could go to sleep, when one question struck me to the core.

_What if they find out where I live?_

My eyes snapped open and I sat up quickly. Thoughts of my parents lying lifeless on the living room floor brought tears to my eyes. I slipped out from under the covers and opened the bedroom door. It was dead silent in Selina's apartment now. Nightwing must have left and Selina must have gone to bed. I tiptoed quietly down the hall and into the living room, doing my best not to wake Selina. It was dark in the room, the moon giving off just enough light to see the outlines of furniture.

I squinted in the darkness, scanning the room carefully, and spotted a telephone sitting on an end table beside the couch. I crept over to the phone and slowly lifted it off the hook. A soft snore made me jump, and my eyes snapped over to the couch. Nightwing was fast asleep, one arm stretched over his eyes and the other dangling off the side of the couch. I bit the inside of my cheek and cautiously picked the base of the phone off of the table. I crouched down behind the couch and punched in a few numbers. I waited impatiently for someone to answer. _Please… Please, pick up…_ I pleaded.

"Hello?" my mother's voice sent a wave of relief rushing through me.

"Mom?" my voice cracked as I spoke into the phone. I covered the end of the phone and cleared my throat, which had suddenly become very dry. I didn't want my mom to panic any more than she probably was.

"Allie? Oh, thank God! Sweetie, are you okay? Where are you?" my mother rambled into the phone. I smiled, biting my lip to keep from crying. I could picture exactly how my mother looked right now. Her white-blonde hair was probably in a messy bun instead of the tight ponytail she usually kept it in. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and she was more than likely wearing sweats. It was how she looked every time something happened that upset her. She did the same thing when our old cat, Missy, died.

I frowned when I heard noises in the background. I could hear someone with a thick, New Jersey accent barking orders, an occasional siren, and someone repeatedly saying, "Almost done, Mr. Valentine" or, "Just a few more questions, Mr. Valentine." The police were there?

"I'm fine mom. I'm coming home soon, don't worry." I assured her. There was movement out of the corner of my eye, and I snapped my head up. A gloved arm flopped over the back of the couch, and a snore sounded from the other side. I stared at the arm with baited breath. I really hope he isn't awake. I waited to see if he stirred again, but he remained still.

"Mom, like I said, I'll be home soon. I have some… help. There's just something I have to do first. I love you." I whispered hurriedly. I hung up the phone, ignoring my mother's protests. I continued to stare at Nightwing's arm before I got up enough courage to set the phone back on the table, and scurry back to my room.

As I crawled back into bed, relief settled in and the gnawing in my stomach and head stopped. I suddenly realized just how tired I really was as my eyes drooped shut of their own accord. Yawning, I allowed my eyes to close, and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7- Part 2

_Chapter_ _7-_ _Part_ _2_

"Allie, wake up." A voice cooed from somewhere above me, shaking my shoulder gently. I let out a low groan in protest, and shifted away from the stranger's touch. _Go away… Let me sleep. _I thought sourly. I'd had the strangest dream last night, and it had left me feeling drained and exhausted. I always hate those dreams… Anyway, I dreamed that Two-Face had kidnapped me, and then Killer Croc kidnapped me, and then I met Catwoman and some guy named Nightwing. Yeah, I know, right? It was insane. I guess living in Gotham can really take its toll on you.

"Come on, Allie. Nightwing's waiting on you." That got my attention. My eyes snapped open and I peered up into Selina's amused face. _I'm still dreaming… This has to all be a dream…_ I thought. Well, it was more of a plea than an actual thought. I sat up and every muscle in my body seemed to scream at me. Standing out more than anything was the dull throb that pulsed through my arms, seemingly in tune with my heart beat.

"You okay?" Selina asked. I forced a smile and nodded. She didn't seem to believe me, but she didn't push the matter either. I noticed Selina was no longer wearing her nightgown, but was instead wearing a simple gray sweater with a pair of black dress pants.

"What time is it?" I asked. Selina checked her watch,

"Five in the afternoon." My jaw dropped. I've never slept that long before. "Welcome to my life." Selina said with a smirk, seeming to have read my mind. "Come on, let's get you something to eat. The boy wonder wants to start as soon as the sun sets. That leaves you just enough time to eat and get some supplies together." She said, walking out of the room. Oh yeah, I was supposed to help Nightwing find Two-Face tonight. I forgot how much I wasn't looking forward to that. Frowning, I slid out of bed and followed Selina into the kitchen.

Nightwing stood there, leaning against one of the counters and nibbling on a bagel. I stopped and looked over at him, getting a better view of him in the daylight. He had shaggy, ink black hair that fell messily into his masked eyes. If he kept growing it out, it would be long enough to put into a ponytail. He was about a head taller than me with a muscular build, but he looked more like a gymnast than a fighter. He caught my gaze and raised a brow. I panicked and said the first thing that popped into my head,

"Why are you here?" Well that was a little rude… Nightwing looked at me and frowned.

"Ouch." He mumbled, "I missed you, too. Did you forget our conversation yesterday?" he asked. I shook my head, embarrassed.

"No, I mean… You're early." I attempted to cover up my blunder. Nightwing took a bite out of his bagel and chewed it thoughtfully.

"I wanted to make sure nothing else happened. If someone tried to kidnap you again, since that seems to happen rather frequently," I felt my brow twitch at the comment, "I wanted to be here to stop it." He said, swallowing the bite of bagel.

"Which, quite frankly, I find offensive." Selina piped up, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Nightwing sighed and rolled his eyes. It seems as though they'd had this argument already. I sat down at the kitchen table and picked up a bagel. Selina handed me a steaming mug of coffee as she sipped at her own mug thoughtfully.

"When do we leave?" I asked after a few moments of silence. I was eager to get this mess over with and go home.

"As soon as the sun sets." Nightwing replied softly.

The time I spent waiting for the sun to set went by in a blur. All I really remember was sitting in Selina's living room and staring at the clock, since there wasn't much else to do, and I was too nervous to even contemplate the fact that there may have been something to occupy my mind. Selina would come in occasionally and attempt to have a conversation with me, but I would merely nod or give short answers to her questions.

Nightwing even came in a few times, asking me questions about what had happened to me and anything I may have known about Harvey's whereabouts. I gave as much information as I could, but it wasn't much. When his questions about Harvey ran out, Nightwing attempted to ease my nerves by striking up a conversation, but he got the same result as Selina. Curt nods and short answers. Finally, the sun set.

I slid off of the couch nervously, and Isis hopped down from her curled position beside me, rubbing against herself against my legs. I scratched the feline gently behind the ears before heading towards the kitchen. Nightwing was talking to Selina and the two looked up when I entered the room.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I offered him what I could of a smile,

"Ready as I'll ever be." I replied quietly. I turned to Selina, an actual smile on my face this time, "Thank you, for everything. I really appreciate it." Selina smiled back, waving her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it." She replied with a shrug. I offered her one last smile and turned to leave, but Selina's voice stopped me.

"Hey, wait a minute." I turned and Selina held out a black backpack to me. "You didn't exactly have anything to take, so I packed some things for you." She said softly. I took the backpack gently and opened my mouth to thank her again, but Selina raised a hand, "Okay, kid. Don't go overstaying your welcome. Get out of here." She teased, gently pushing me towards the living room. I couldn't help but smile. For a supposed "rogue" Selina was actually pretty cool… So long as you were on her good side, I guess. I walked over to Nightwing who was waiting by the window as I slid the backpack Selina had given me over my shoulders.

"Ready?" he asked for the second time. I nodded, and jumped as Nightwing slid one arm around my waist. "Hold on tight." He instructed, pulling me close as he aimed his free arm out the window. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck as what looked like a grapple shot through the night sky and landed securely in the brick of the building across the street. He jumped out the window, and a scream lodged in my throat as we flew across the street. I squeezed my eyes shut and tightened my grip on his neck. Oh God, we were going to die…

"You can let go now." The amusement in Nightwing's voice caused me to pry one eye open. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized we were safely on the ground. I released my grip on Nightwing and looked around the alley we were in.

"Which way?" Nightwing asked, watching me. I furrowed my brow in frustration as I examined the street.

"I don't know. I... wasn't exactly conscious when Selina brought me to her apartment. I'm not going to know the way from here." I replied with a shrug. I thought hard for a moment, looking up and down the street. A thought occurred to me, but it pained me to say it aloud. Then again, the more time I waste, the longer I have to wait to get home.

"Maybe if we get near enough to Croc's hide out I'll be able to tell from there." I said slowly. I inwardly cringed at the thought of having to be anywhere near Killer Croc again, and rubbed my arms out of a subconscious habit. I couldn't believe that I had actually just suggested we go near him again… I looked over at Nightwing to gauge his reaction and, to my surprise, he frowned at me,

"I don't think that's such a good idea." He said. _Seriously? You're telling _me_? _I thought sourly. "Croc isn't one to forgive and forget. He'll remember who you are, and he'll definitely remember who I am. If he catches us near there, it won't be pretty." He warned. I frowned back at him. I, of all people, knew that it wasn't a good idea. Really. But something about how he explained it to me, as if I were some little kid who couldn't comprehend the gravity of the situation, just irked me.

"Well, Two-Face's hideout is near there anyway, so it doesn't really matter." I retorted, crossing my arms. Nightwing stared at me for a minute before he let out an irritated sigh.

"Fine, let's go." He said, walking further into the alley, grumbling under his breath. I eyed him curiously, but followed. I didn't exactly know my way around this part of Gotham, so I was going to have to put my trust in this mystery man. Nightwing stopped behind a dumpster next to a large, lumpy object covered with a black tarp. He gripped the tarp in his hands and threw it off to reveal a sleek, black motorcycle. I smiled, looking over at him in disbelief.

"Where did this come from?" I questioned, my fingers lightly trailing the cool metal. He smirked,

"I got it back from my place while you were sleeping." He replied. At my questioning look he shrugged, "What? Did you expect me to stay in that apartment all day?" he questioned, swinging one leg over the bike_. Well, yes, actually._ I thought to myself. Nightwing reached behind him to the back of the bike and placed a helmet on his head,

"Safety first!" He chimed, tossing one to me as well. I frowned and shifted uncomfortably. Motorcycles were cool and everything, but the thought of actually riding one made my stomach tighten anxiously. I twirled the helmet in my hands and contemplated on whether or not I should ask if we could walk…

Nightwing made up my mind for me as he let out a loud, impatient sigh and effectively caused the hairs on the back of my neck to bristle in annoyance. I shoved the helmet on my head and got on the bike behind Nightwing. As soon as I sat on the cool leather seat my stomach immediately became queasy. Did you know that around _eighty percent_ of motorcycle crashes end in injury or death? Because they do...

"Ready?" Nightwing questioned for the umpteenth time, looking at me over his shoulder. I frowned at him and nodded. "Good. Let's get going." He said, with the faint hint of a smile in his voice. "You might want to hold on." He teased over his shoulder. I rolled my eyes at him, but none the less wrapped my arms securely around his waist. The motorcycle came to life with a roar, and my grip on Nightwing's waist tightened as we lurched forward. I took deep breaths in and out, attempting to calm myself. We were speeding down the road so fast I could hardly make out the buildings as they flew by.

I could feel the steady beat of Nightwing's heart under my palm, and focused on that as I tried to ignore the various, horrifying ways he could lose control and crash. When we came to a secure halt I wrenched my arms away from Nightwing's torso and shakily climbed off of the motorcycle. Nightwing took off his helmet, his charcoal hair sticking up in some places. He gave me a toothy grin as he watched me attempt to keep my legs still enough to get me to the sidewalk.

"Aw, come on, I'm not that bad of a driver." He joked. I rolled her eyes at him before I turned away, examining the buildings around us. I could hear seagulls in the distance, so we were obviously close to Gotham Bay. Looking in the direction of the birds, I could just make out a tiny shack on the shore. A shiver raced down my spine and I looked away.

"I think it's this way." I said, walking in the opposite direction.

"You 'think'?" I didn't need to see his face to know that he was frowning.

"Sorry, I wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was going when I _ran away_. I was more focused on getting as far away from Two-Face as I could." I retorted. Nightwing scowled and followed me down the street.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dick watched as Allie made her way down the street in front of him. She was so stubborn. If she kept up the attitude she had now, she was sure to get herself into trouble. Well… _More _trouble. He couldn't say he didn't admire her a little, though. He had a feeling that, if she wanted to, she could probably give Batman a run for his money. He came to a halt as Allie did, and looked up at the large, rundown building before them. It looked as though it may have once been a club in its prime. Nightwing shifted his gaze from the building, to Allie. The moonlight made her light blonde hair look almost silver, and her sea-green eyes were focused intently on the building before them. Her nose scrunched up as she stared at the club, and Dick smiled to himself. She was actually kind of cute when she wasn't working his last nerve…

"I think this is it." She said hesitantly, turning to face him, "What do we do now?" Dick blinked and laughed harshly.

"_We_ don't do anything. _You _are going to stay here while _I _go inside and check out the building." He instructed, leading her over to the side of the building where she would be out of sight of anyone who happened to pass by. Allie frowned, crossing her arms. Dick stiffened and waited for her to protest- ready to shoot down any excuses she may have. But she surprised him by instead keeping silent as she leaned against brick of the club, arching a brow as she stared at him.

He walked past her and farther into the alley, pulling out his grapple. He aimed it at the edge of the roof and braced himself as it pulled him upward. He landed lightly on the roof, and gave the area a quick scan to see if there was anyone keeping guard up here. When he was positive he was alone, he searched the roof for an entrance. There was no skylight on this building, but there was a ventilation system. _Going in the old fashioned way._ He thought wryly as he pried open the rusty grate to the air vent and crawled inside.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I let out my fifth sigh since Nightwing left, around ten minutes ago, and pushed a stray hair out of my face. If Two-Face was in there, I don't want to be anywhere near him, but the thought of Nightwing going in by himself made me nervous. He obviously kept me out here for my own safety, and because I'd probably be totally useless in a fight, but… What if he got outnumbered? Or shot? I mean, I don't exactly know him that well, so maybe he can take care of himself, but, if he can't… I cringed at the thought of all the things that could happen to him. Like I said, I don't exactly know him that well, but he was trying to help me get home, and I didn't exactly want him to _die_ or anything. Making up my mind, I pushed myself off of the wall and started searching for a ladder to a fire escape, or something someone may have used to get onto the roof, or inside the building at all for that matter. Nothing, and walking further into the alley only lead to a dead end.

Frowning, I hurried out of the alley and headed for the other side of the building. Just as I turned the corner to head over to the other side, the door to the club swung open and five men stumbled out. They were laughing loudly, not caring what they said or who heard it. I could smell the alcohol from where I stood, and my nose crinkled with distaste. Turning, I started a quick retreat back into the alley Nightwing had placed me in. I wasn't fast enough, though.

"Whoa-ho-ho, lookie what we got here!" one of the men called. My heart froze. I could hear footsteps behind me, and I knew I should run, but I couldn't make myself move.

"What're you doin' out so late, sweetheart? Ain't it a little past your bedtime?" another man teased. They had formed a semi-circle around me, with two men to either side and one behind me. I could try and run, but they'd probably catch me. I stared them down, my heart hammering in my chest. I couldn't let them know I was scared. I had to put on a brave face.

"Whatsa matter? Cat got your tongue?" the first man mocked me. He was tall, with greasy brown hair and a crooked nose. It looked as though it had been broken once before.

"I think she's shy, boys." Another man, short, with thick black glasses and rat-like teeth chimed. The man behind me outstretched a hand and ran it through my ponytail. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where I draw the line.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, whirling around smacking the man's hand away. I then slapped him, hard, across the face. He stared at me, dazed, and raised a hand to his reddened cheek while his cohorts laughed at the fact that he had been slapped by a "little girl". The man's expression darkened and he lunged at me. Luckily he was drunk and clumsy, which gave me ample time to scramble to the side. The man hit the floor with a _smack_. His friends were howling with laughter now.

I watched as the man slowly made his way to his feet. A dark liquid was pouring from his nose, dripping onto the concrete sidewalk and staining his suit. For every step he took towards me, I took one back. When I couldn't stand the anticipation anymore, I turned and started running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Though he was drunk, the man was faster and he caught up to me in no time. He clamped his hands down on my arms, and pain lanced from the wounds that Croc had inflicted earlier. I gasped in pain and then again in shock as I was thrown roughly to the side.

My collided harshly with the brick wall of the alley, and white stars exploded behind my closed eyes from the pain. Something wet trickled down my face and I dabbed at it gingerly with my hand. When I drew back, I realized my fingers were covered in a dark crimson. I snapped my head up, wincing as blood dripped into my eyes, as several footsteps stalked towards her.

"You'll pay for that, brat." The man with the bloody nose snarled, splattering my face with spit and blood. I grimaced and tried to stand, to move, but my head was spinning with pain. My arms and legs felt like jelly, and I could barely keep myself sitting up. My eyes widened as the man brought his leg back, aiming a kick right at my ribs. Pain exploded in my torso, and air rushed out of my lungs. I doubled over, gasping for air. A hand gripped my hair and threw me backwards, and into the wall once more. There was a sharp _smack_, and pain exploded on the left side of my face.

"Yeah, doesn't feel too good, does it sweetheart?" a hand gripped my ponytail and jerked my head back to look the man in the face. Blood was still oozing out of his nose and I couldn't help but cringe at the sight.

"You were pretty rude to us, earlier. And all we wanted was to say hello." He leaned closer to my face, and I could smell the alcohol mixed with the metallic aroma of blood on his breath. A grin stretched across his face, and blood stained the white of his teeth.

"Let's start again, shall we?"

_** A/N **_

_**Well, that's part 2. It's a bit longer than the previous one, so, there's a plus :)**_

_**Is school completely messed up for anyone else due to the weather, by the way? I was off all of the week before last, went to school all week last week, and then I've been off all this week. :S It's kind of annoying, actually.**_

_**Oh, well. Let me know what you think! :)**_

_**And, hey, if you're stuck in the snow like me, you should go check out my other stories to pass the time... **_

_**Just saying, they need some love ;P**_


	9. Chapter 8

**_CHAPTER 8_**

Nightwing clambered his way back through the airshaft irritably. He'd searched the club but there was no sign of Harvey anywhere. The only sign that anyone had even been there recently were some warm, half-eaten hamburgers. He made his way over to the side of the roof, ready to glide down to the ground, when a scream pierced the night, making his blood run cold.

"Allie!" he breathed, sprinting over to the side of the building the scream had come from. He looked down, glaring at a group of men surrounding a crumpled figure. Dick grit his teeth and leaped down from the roof, aiming a kick at the man closest to him as he landed. His foot connected with the man's head with a satisfying _thwack, _and Dick smirked as he fell to the ground, unconscious. The other men stumbled back, surprised by his entrance. He turned an ice cold glare on all of them,

"Get lost." He ordered. The men remaining all stared at him, terrified. The fear was quickly replaced by anger, and one man took a swing at him. Nightwing ducked, shoving his fist hard into the man's gut. The man staggered and swung an arm back around, aiming for Nightwing's head. Dick took a step back and the man's arm swung through the air, missing him.

These guys were obviously drunk, if the way they smelled had anything to say about it. Well, the way they were moving gave it away, too, but _man_ that smell was overpowering. He could have easily taken them out, but… Dick glanced over to the figure curled up against the wall of the club and he felt anger bubble inside him. Oh yeah, he'd definitely take his time here. Nightwing grabbed the man's arm and swung him around, throwing him into the wall of the club, jumping to the right as a second man took a swing at him.

Dick narrowed his eyes as the glint of a knife caught the streetlight. He dodged the man's feeble attempts to stab him, eventually getting annoyed and leaping into a back-flip, effectively kicking the knife out of the man's hand as he did so. It clattered to the ground several feet away, and Dick used his hands to twist his body, bringing his legs around to kick the man in the head.

Two more men came at him and Dick narrowed his eyes. This was getting annoying. The man to his left kicked at him, and Dick swiftly jumped over his leg. He landed and ducked just in time as the man to his right took a swing at him. He grabbed the man's arm, and swung him around into the other man. They knocked heads and tumbled to the floor. Dick turned to the final man and frowned.

He had Allie in a choke hold, the knife he had knocked away from the previous man pressed against her throat.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I swallowed nervously, wincing as the cold metal tip of the knife dug deeper into my skin. How had this one, little trip gone down-hill so fast? My ribs hurt, I'm guessing they were bruised if not broken, making it hard to breath. My arms were throbbing now, to the point that they were practically in tune with my heart-beat, and, oh yeah, my head is _killing_ me. Having your head slammed into a brick wall hurts. A lot. Okay, so, I broke that one guy's nose. He was asking for it! It's not my fault… Okay, it's partially my fault. And I know what you're thinking, if I'd just stayed where Nightwing told me to, I probably wouldn't be in this mess. Well…  
>Shut up.<p>

"O-One more step, and she's gone, man!" the rat toothed man currently holding me hostage stammered. Nightwing didn't move. He stared the man down, observing him like a tiger eyeing its prey. The man was shaking, causing the knife to slide up and down my skin. It left a few scratches along the way, but nothing too deep. They'd only be annoying, if anything. Suddenly Nightwing cocked his head to the side, and seemed to be looking past us. It was kind of creepy, actually. What with the fact that his eyes were covered and I couldn't actually tell what he was looking at. What worried me most, though, was that he still hadn't said a word. He didn't tell the guy to drop the knife, or let me go. He just stood there, silent. It was starting to make me nervous.

The pressure against my throat was suddenly alleviated, and I fell to the ground as the man who had been holding me let out a startled cry. I gasped, sucking in air. I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath for so long. I placed a hand to my throat gingerly, wincing at the little stings I felt shoot across my skin, like a dozen tiny paper-cuts. In the light emitted from the streetlamp above us, I saw a pair of black boots standing directly beside me. At first, I thought it was Nightwing, and I was about to tell him off for taking so long, but any comment I may have wanted to make died on my lips as my eyes trailed up from the boots, to the torso, and finally to the black mask and scowling face. My eyes widened in awe and recognition.

"Batman?" I gasped. The crusader said nothing as he stood under the dim light of the abandoned street. He paid no attention to me, or to the unconscious bodies scattered on the pavement. His gaze was fixed on Nightwing. He was staring so intensely, I thought for sure Nightwing would either drop dead or burst into flames. Batman's jaw was clenched, his mouth in a taut line. His cape had wrapped around his body, encasing him in darkness. If not for the streetlights and the moon, he would probably have looked like nothing more than a floating head. Well, a floating jaw I guess, seeing how the rest of his face is covered…

"I thought I told you that if you had any information about her whereabouts, to let me know?" The calm, iciness in his voice made me jump. Her? Who's "her"? Nightwing crossed his arms, glaring back just as intensely.

"How was I supposed to know that this was the same girl?" he retorted, his tone equally calm. Ohhh… I'M her. Well, don't I feel like little miss popular. Batman said nothing. He just continued staring at Nightwing. For a long time, no one said anything. The only sounds to be heard were the waves rolling in from Gotham Bay, and the occasionally screech of an alley cat or the bark of a dog.

I, not really knowing what else to do, just lay on the concrete where I had fallen earlier. Continually glancing back and forth between the two vigilantes as they had what seemed to be a mental argument. Finally Nightwing sighed, throwing up his hands in defeat. Batman must have taken this as some sort of confession, though to what I have no clue, and the sudden hostility in his voice made me jump again,

"I thought you'd at _least_ have enough sense to take her home. If you didn't want to contact me, you could have at least contacted the Commissioner. He's got half of Gotham's police department out looking for both her and Harvey." He snapped. I winced, incredibly glad that I wasn't Nightwing right now. Although he didn't seem to be phased by Batman's scathing tone. He merely grit his teeth and bit back a reply,

"I did have sense. I thought she could lead me to Harvey, that way I could stop him _and _help her at the same time! Who knows whether or not she'll be safe while he's still on the loose!" he pointed right at me, and I flinched. Oh, man, why'd he have to draw attention to me? I've always wanted to meet Batman, I don't know many people in Gotham who don't, but I definitely don't want to meet him while he's ticked off…

"I've already found Harvey." Batman's voice was calm again, though there was a slight edge in his voice. I felt my eyes widen and I glanced over at Nightwing. For a second, I thought I saw surprise flash through his eyes, quickly followed by anger, but just as quickly as they appeared they vanished.

"Where is he?" Nightwing inquired. Batman turned, looking down the street.

"There." He pointed a gloved finger towards a large, run-down building that was similar to the club they were in front of now. "An ex-con named Jerry Lynch owns the property. He gives shelter to rogues on the run, or holds important items for those who need a safe place to store them." He informed us. I raised a brow and looked up at the crusader,

"If you know, why hasn't he been arrested yet?" I asked, genuinely curious. Batman turned his steely gaze on me and I shivered. Yeah, so, maybe meeting Batman's only cool when it's in your imagination. This man is terrifying in real life.

"Because Lynch is good at covering his tracks. Ever since he got out of prison he made sure never to be caught by the police again, and anyone brave enough to snitch on him disappears. Without sufficient evidence, his case won't hold in court." He stated, as if it were obvious. I furrowed my brow, still confused,

"Then, how did you…" I trailed off under Batman's icy glare. Okay, so, being asked questions is definitely on Batman's black list… Nightwing walked over to me then, holding out his hand. I took it gratefully, wincing at the pain that shot through my arms, and hopping up onto my feet as he hoisted me up. A bad idea on my part, as the blow to my head still made me pretty dizzy. I staggered, leaning against the nearest object for support, which just so happened to be Nightwing. I felt him stiffen, before he quickly helped me regain my balance. I looked up and offered a weary smile,

"Sorry." I apologized softly. He gave a curt nod, taking a step back. Though he was close enough to catch me if I fell again.

"Are you all right?" Batman asked from behind me. I looked up at him and gave a light nod, offering a small smile. He stared at me, mouth in a taut line once more. Did I do something wrong? A nervous sweat formed on the back of my neck under his gaze, and I quickly realized why criminals were so afraid of him. He could obviously tell I was lying, and I don't even know why I tried. Slowly, I shook my head. Batman reached into his utility belt, pulling out what looked like a small piece of white cloth.

"Clean that. I'm going to get the kit from the Batmobile." He instructed Nightwing, handing him the piece of cloth as he disappeared into the darkness. As I watched him leave, I started feeling a little uneasy. Nightwing had proven he could handle himself and protect me at the same time, but criminals just weren't as scared of him as they were of Batman. My gaze was pulled back to Nightwing as he gently lifted my chin into the light.

He dabbed at my forehead gently, mopping up the blood that had been pouring into my eyes, turning the white cloth pink. He dipped the cloth into a white rift of snow, dampening it so he could better clean the cut. As he worked, I took this as an opportunity to get a better look at him. His ink black hair fell into his masked eyes, and he kept stopping to rake back his bangs. His square jaw was set, and I could see his brow twitch occasionally out of frustration. Okay, so, he's kind of gorgeous… I'll never admit that aloud, though.

"What are you staring at?" Nightwing asked, and I swear I felt my face catch on fire.

"You're directly in front of my line of vision. What else am I supposed to be staring at?" I grumbled, trying to cover up my obvious blunder. Nightwing frowned at me, but said nothing. Batman returned soon after that, um, awkward moment, with a roll of gauze and band-aids in hand. For a man who could take on someone as strong as Killer Croc, his touch was gentle as he turned my head and applied the band-aid to my forehead.

"The cut isn't too long, just a little deep." He explained to me.

"What's the gauze for, then?" I asked, gesturing to the rolled up cloth in his hand.

"Your arms." He stated simply. I gaped at him.

"H-how did you-?"

"You were gripping your arms the entire time you were on the ground, and winced when Nightwing pulled you up. Obviously they must have been bothering you, and they're clearly not broken." He added, sounding slightly irritated that he had to keep explaining himself. I pursed my lips and sighed through my nose. Batman could actually be kind of annoying, sometimes…

"Let me see." The crusader ordered. I complied reluctantly, pushing down the shoulder of my sweater just below the injury. Spots of blood were already starting to seep through the gauze I had applied in Selina's apartment. Batman unraveled the layers of poorly applied gauze and his jaw tightened at the mess underneath. The skin was a furious shade of red, and even puffier than before. There was greenish-white ooze coming out of some of the holes in my skin, and I quickly bit back the bile rising in my throat. I heard Nightwing swear softly from somewhere behind Batman.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He demanded. I didn't answer him. I didn't really know how. The only excuse I had was that I didn't want to be a burden. It turns out, in thinking that, I ended up being one anyway. Quickly, Batman reapplied a fresh roll of gauze and copied the process on my other arm.

"I can't treat this here." He stated, though I wasn't really sure to whom he was speaking. It sounded almost as if he was talking to himself. Batman turned to Nightwing, and I felt the tension rise in the air,

"You were right about her not being safe so long as Harvey's at large." Batman said, and Nightwing's eyes widened a fraction. "He'll be sure to find her at a public hospital. Reporters would swarm the place like flies. Take her to Leslie's. I'd do it myself but there isn't enough time, I'm not sure how long Harvey is planning to stay in one spot. Think you can handle that?" he added the last part coldly.

_Ouch… _I thought to myself, turning my gaze away. Nightwing audibly clenched his jaw, and I could see how badly he wanted to say something snarky to the Dark Knight. He said nothing, though, and instead turned on his heel and started walking down the street. Oh, boy, now Nightwing's ticked off, too. This is going to be a fun trip…

_** A/N  
><strong>__**I'm sorry this chapter is so late you guys :S  
>I have finals, ACT prep, an AP project, AND End of Course Assessment coming up.<br>As you can imagine, my life is all rainbows and butterflies at the moment. :/**_

_**This chapter was originally much longer, but I cut it off for the sake of having something for you all to read.  
>Because I love you all :) Anyway, please review!<strong>_


	10. Chapter 9

_**I just wanted to thank you all for your kind reviews :)  
>They mean a lot to me!<strong>_

_**CHAPTER 9**_

Nightwing glared at his former mentor. How could he just stand there and tell him what to do? He wasn't in charge of him anymore! Dick was no longer Robin, he didn't have to listen to Batman. Nightwing opened his mouth, but froze when he caught sight of Allie. He could see the fear in her eyes. All she wanted was to go home to her family, and here he was dragging her around all over Gotham. She looked so tired…

He searched the rest of her face and saw there was blood caked in her light blonde hair and circles were starting to form under her eyes, making her look much older. His eyes wandered down to her arms and he winced as he remembered how awful they looked. There was no time or reason to argue about this. Batman was right, she needed a doctor and fast. Without another thought he turned on his heel and started walking down the street.

"Let's go." He instructed, not even bothering to look back. Allie jogged to catch up with him and fell in stride once she was close enough. She stared at the ground as they walked for a while before she stopped. Nightwing, noticing her absence from his side, turned and eyed her curiously. Allie turned back towards where they'd left Batman, a look on her face that Dick couldn't quite place.

"Batman?" she called. The Dark Knight made no notion that he had heard her, but Allie continued anyway,

"Hit him hard for me." Nightwing raised an eyebrow and smirked. Well, that certainly wasn't what he had expected her to say. Mostly people just gave a lot of thank you's and I owe you one's. He couldn't be sure, but Dick could have sworn he saw the corner of Batman's mouth twitch upwards before he nodded, and disappeared. Allie stood there for a long time, Nightwing staring at the back of her head.

"Allie?" he called softly. She turned her head slightly, indicating she had heard him. "We have to go." He stated. Allie nodded slowly and turned to face him. Dick was surprised to see her face was streaked with silent tears.

"Allie? What-" he stopped short and his eyes widened as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, her face buried in his chest. Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs, and Dick brought his arms up hesitantly. Slowly, he laid one hand on her back and the other on her head.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I have no idea what I was thinking. All I know is that I had this giant weight settled in the middle of my chest, and the more I cried the more the weight eased off. As for the whole hugging part, well, sometimes you just need a hug. Know what I mean? And Nightwing just so happened to be the closest person at the moment. I wasn't exactly going to hug a random person on the street, especially not in this neighborhood. Who knows how they would have taken it. After practically soaking Nightwing's costume- erm… uniform? Whatever, you know what I mean. After his chest was thoroughly soaked, I backed away and wiped the remaining tears from my face with the palm of my hand.

"I'm sorry." I sniffed, "I'm just… Freaking out right now." I admitted. I think that was it anyway. Getting attacked is kind of a terrifying experience. I wouldn't recommend it. Nightwing eyed me warily and I felt my face heat up again under his gaze.

"So, uh… Who's Leslie?" I asked, attempting to ease the awkward moment we were currently having. Nightwing hesitated a moment before turning to continue walking down the street,

"She's a doctor. The only one Batman trusts, really." He commented over his shoulder. I trailed after him silently.

ooooo

I hopped off of Nightwing's motorcycle and looked up at the decrepit looking building in front of me. The bricks were worn with age and large chunks were missing in some places. The stone steps leading to the door looked corroded, as if they would crumble if so much as a feather landed on their surface.

"She works… _Here_?" I questioned. After hearing that Leslie was a doctor, I assumed we'd be going to a nice neighborhood closer to the city. A suburb or something. But, nooo, "the only doctor Batman trusts" is in Park Row. Or, as it's more commonly known, Crime Alley. I feel as though I would have been better off by the docks with Two-Face and Killer Croc. At least saying, "She died at the docks," sounds less menacing. It'd be easier for my parents that way. This place was literally nicknamed for the amount of criminal activity that occurred. Nightwing smirked beside me,

"She's lived in this neighborhood for years. It's her home. Besides, Dr. Thompkins is all about helping people who can't afford medical help from a big hospital or doctor's office." He informed me. I frowned as I followed him up the stairs, cautiously applying weight to each one for fear it would crumble under my weight. Nightwing rapped on the door and we waited patiently. A few seconds later the door creaked open, revealing a shriveled looking woman with snow white hair, tied in a bun on the back of her head. She gazed through the crack in the door with intelligent gray eyes, and smiled when she saw Nightwing,

"I was wondering when I was going to see you." She teased. Nightwing let out a nervous laugh,

"Actually, Doc, I'm not here for me." He said, stepping aside so I was in view. When Leslie caught sight of me her eyebrows rose in surprise, and she turned to Nightwing suspiciously,

"This is the girl that's been all over the news." She informed him. Nightwing feigned surprise,

"Has she really?" he asked innocently, and the woman frowned at him, rolling her eyes. I frowned as well, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. If I was all over the news, what would happen if Two-Face happened to watch it, he'd be able to learn a lot about me. Where I go to school, what I did in school, even where I lived. Ugh, why did reporters have to be so thorough? I looked up as someone cleared their throat. At some point while lost in my thoughts, Nightwing had informed Dr. Thompkins of the current situation and moved inside the building. Now the elderly doctor was staring curiously at me, probably wondering if I were mentally ill as well as physically. Flushing with embarrassment I scurried inside.

The inside of the building was much nicer than the outside. The walls were a creamy tan, and the floor was polished wood. Pictures and newspaper clippings of patients lined the walls all the way down the hall. A door to the left had a lock on it, and I assumed led to Leslie's home. There was a waiting room directly to the right, and it seemed to be empty except for the familiar dark haired, masked man lounging in one of the chairs.

"This way." Leslie placed a gentle hand on my elbow, leading me down the hall. I looked over at Nightwing uneasily and he offered a small smile,

"Don't worry, I'll be right here." He assured me. I hesitated a moment longer, but eventually allowed myself to be led into an observation room. The door closed with a click, and Leslie turned to me with a kind smile.

"Now, Nightwing informed me that your arms are what's really concerning him, but you've also had a scrape with some hooligans. I'll tend to your arms first and then we'll go from there, all right?" She said kindly. I nodded, shrugging off the backpack Selina had given me and lowering the sleeve of my sweater to reveal the injury. I winced as Leslie un-wrapped the gauze Batman had applied. Some of the cloth had stuck to the wound, making it rather painful to remove. When she was finished, the older woman made several tsk-ing noises before moving over to the counter set up on the far side of the wall.

"You're very lucky. The infection isn't too severe." Leslie announced, "Any longer, and you might have lost your arms." She added, giving me a stern look over her shoulder. I blanched and tried to swallow. My throat suddenly felt very dry. I guess Nightwing had told her about my reluctance to tell him about my injury... How long did I space out for, exactly? "Cleaning your wounds isn't going to be a pleasant feat." Leslie said, setting a bottle of antiseptic beside me as she pulled on a pair of plastic gloves. Okay, so I probably should have said something to Nightwing sooner…

ooooo

I emerged from the back room an hour later. My arms were throbbing, but clean and properly bandaged. My other scrapes had been attended to, and she even checked my ribs. It turns out they were bruised, by the way, not broken. It feels like they were broken, though. Leslie handed me a Styrofoam cup of water and I gulped it down gratefully, throat sore from choking back sobs. Nightwing was still sitting in the waiting room where I'd left him, as promised. He looked up as I entered and gave me a small smile.

"Hey… You okay?" he asked.

"She'll be fine." Dr. Thompkins said, appearing beside me before I could answer.

"She just needs to keep clean bandages on her arms, and take these antibiotics every morning and every night to keep out any further infection." She instructed, handing me a small bottle. I placed the pills in my backpack before I turned back to Nightwing. He was staring at me again, with the same intent, thoughtful look as when he had been cleaning the wound on my head. I couldn't fight the blush creeping up my neck at the thought. I remembered hugging him, and my face darkened a shade more.

"If you're done, we should probably get you home." Nightwing stated simply, standing up from his lounging position. I nodded and turned back to Leslie.

"Thank you for your help, Dr. Thompkins." I said, and the older woman smiled at me.

"It was no trouble." She said kindly. Nightwing placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him. He offered an encouraging smile, though it seemed rather strained. I guess he was getting tired, too.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked. A smile stretched its way across my face.

"_Home_…" I cooed dreamily, shouldering my backpack as we headed towards the door. Nightwing opened it for me, and I grinned at him as I stepped outside. I had only placed a foot out the door, though, when I froze on the first step. A cop car was parked on the street right next to Nightwing's bike, and two policemen were leaning against the hood of the cruiser, looking up at the doorway expectantly.

"Are you Allie Valentine?" one of the cops asked in a thick, New Jersey accent. I stared at him for a moment before I nodded slowly.

"We have orders to escort you home." The second cop spoke up. I raised an eyebrow, eyeing the cops curiously. Nightwing was beside me then, a protective shadow, and glared at the officers,

"Orders from who?" he demanded. The New Jersey cop tilted his hat back, sizing up Nightwing.

"You really questionin' cops, kid?" at Nightwing's cold stare, he sighed and continued, "Look, the Bat told the Commish about the girl, then the Commish told us to come and get the girl. Ain't that how it usually goes?" he questioned, giving Nightwing a level stare. Nightwing held the man's gaze for several minutes before heaving an exasperated sigh. He turned to me, a solemn look on his face.

"Looks like I'm not taking you home after all." He said tiredly, and I frowned.

"Yeah… I guess not…" I replied halfheartedly. To tell you the truth, I was kind of disappointed. I hadn't known Nightwing that long, or even that well, but he'd helped me out quite a bit. I was kind of looking forward to him being the one to take me home. So, for the second time that night, I threw my arms around the masked boy in front of me.

"Thank you, for everything." I said. I pulled away, offering Nightwing one last tired smile, before I walked down the steps. I cast a wary look at the officers before me as I reached the car. The cop with the Jersey accent opened the door for me and gave a mock bow, sweeping his arm towards the car. _Jerk…_ I thought to myself. I frowned at him as I slid into the back seat. The door closed behind me with a rather unnecessary slam, and I jumped at the noise.

I looked out the window to see Leslie and Nightwing standing in the doorway to Leslie's office-slahsi-home. Leslie had a kind smile on her face and gave me small wave, which I returned sheepishly. Nightwing's arms were crossed, and a mixture of anger and sadness battled across his features. I offered him a weary smile and a small wave. He didn't return either as he continued to stare at the cruiser as it drove away. Maybe he wasn't as disappointed in my leaving as I was…

Oh well, I sighed with relief. _Home… I'm _finally_ going home…_ I thought happily. Thoughts of seeing my parents again filtered through my mind, and I thought of all the things I would tell Lindsey when I got home. Especially about one rather attractive crime-fighter, but, let's not name names. All these thoughts and more raced through my head, and I leaned against the cruiser-window contentedly. I was asleep within minutes.

The sound of car doors slamming woke me with a jump. I yawned, stretching tiredly, and winced at the throbbing in my arms. The pain had died down since my visit to Dr. Thompkins, but it was still there. For a moment I wondered if the wounds would scar- a permanent reminder of the events that occurred over the past two days. Considering how bad they were, I'd say yes. Oh, well, at least it was over now. Smiling, I thrust open the car door and jumped out of the cruiser, excitement giving me a sudden burst of energy. In my eagerness to see my family I ran forward, paying no mind to my surroundings. I hadn't gotten too far from the cruiser, however, when I realized that absolutely nothing looked familiar. Again. I took a look around, and all of the color drained from my face. My legs felt as though they'd been turned to jelly, and I sunk to my knees.

Those cops hadn't taken me home. Instead, I stood in the middle of an abandoned parking lot, staring up at a large funhouse in an abandoned carnival on the docks of Gotham Bay. Trash littered the streets, street lights flickered from above, and old fliers were scattered everywhere. The upper half of a large clown head sneered down at me from atop the funhouse entrance. It seemed to laugh at how quickly my hopes were crushed. "_Ha ha ha!_" was spray painted sloppily all over the building in bright neon colors, merely rubbing salt in the wound. It was as if the whole building had been designed simply to mock me.

A figure emerged in the entrance of the doorway to the funhouse, hidden in the shadows, though the streetlights and moon offered some help in seeing their outline.

"Well, well, well. The guest of honor has _finally _arrived." A cartoonish voice called out playfully, sending shivers down my spine. I squinted into the darkness in an attempt to see the figure better. That voice… I've heard it before. I know I have. It gave me the same feeling then as it does now. I felt scared…The figure stepped into the light, and for a moment I thought I was going to faint. I definitely recognized him. It was kind of hard not to. The purple suit, the green hair, the pale skin, and the blood red lips curved upwards into what appeared to be a permanent smile. It was his trademark look.

"Let's get the party started!" the Joker threw his hands up in the air, laughing gleefully.

_** A/N **__**  
>Sooo, yeah, there's that :) I just love the Joker.<br>He's my favorite villain, and when I saw the opportunity I kind of threw him in. :)**_

_**Also, I'm having a bit of a Pirate kick. I've been watching a lot of One Piece, Pirates of the Caribbean,  
>I'm even going to read Treasure Island when I get finished with the book I'm reading now. Does anybody<br>have any suggestions for some pirate-y things?  
>Also, I was just wondering, what are some things that you guys are really interested in at the moment?<br>My obsessions change periodically, and randomly, and I was just curious as to some of yours :)**_


	11. Chapter 10

_**CHAPTER 10**_

Batman landed on the roof of the rundown club with practiced ease, his feet hardly even making a sound against the concrete. He stayed crouched in the shadows, quickly scanning the area for any guards. Once he was positive he was alone he made his way over to the skylight, where the soft yellow light illuminated from below, and the occasional bouts of drunken laughter and conversation drifted through the cracked glass.

_"Master Bruce?"_ The voice crackling over the built-in radio made Batman stop. He pressed a finger to the com-link installed into his cowl before he replied,

"What is it, Alfred?" he asked.

_"Sir, as you're aware I called Mrs. Valentine earlier to once again express our condolences with the issue of her daughter."_

"I'm aware. How is she?" Batman asked.

_"Worried, but surprisingly optimistic. She kept saying that she was absolutely positive her daughter would be found."_ Alfred replied.

"She was right. Nightwing found her. He's watching her while I deal with Harvey. But I'm guessing you didn't call just to give me a check-up."

_"No, sir. Before hanging up the phone she asked me to tell you that she checked through Marcus Dabney's workings like you asked, and there was no mistake."_ Batman froze, his jaw clenching.

"What?" he demanded.

_"There was no mistake. She says that the items you noticed that had yet to be filed were actually missing. She checked herself."_ When Batman didn't respond he continued, _"Is this a problem, sir?"_

"Dabney works in the Toxicology department." Batman replied. "Nothing goes in or out of there without me checking it first. If something's missing, then it's definitely a problem. Did she happen to say what was missing?" he asked.

_"No, sir. She just relayed the message and hung up. She seemed rather flustered so I didn't press the matter."_

"Well, I can't worry about it now. I have to deal with Harvey first. Keep me posted." Batman said, before he continued his previous path towards the skylight. Peering down, he took note of twelve guards in the lobby. From what he could see, only four of the twelve were armed with guns. Nothing he couldn't handle. There were tables scattered around the room, and each was occupied by at least three to four men drinking alcohol or playing poker. Nothing seemed overly suspicious. Well, for a club run by a convicted criminal making a profit off of criminal activity, that is. One man, however, did manage to catch Batman's eye. He was sitting alone in the farthest corner of the room, wearing a black trench coat. He had the collar of the coat pulled up, dark sunglasses guarded his eyes and his head was covered by a black baseball-cap. He was sipping on a small glass of whiskey and tapping his finger against the table impatiently.

Batman's eyes snapped to a door across the room as it was flung open, slamming against the wall in the process. Harvey Dent entered the club, flanked by two of his men who were dressed in standard mix-matched, black and white jumpsuits. A silver briefcase was cuffed to Harvey's left hand while his right was shoved deep into his pocket. He looked absolutely livid. Harvey strode in the direction of the black-clad man that had previously caught Batman's eye, and the Dark Knight frowned. Something was about to go down, and he needed to get closer if he wanted to find out what. Batman scanned the rooftop, looking for any means of entry. His eyes landed on an air-vent nearby, and he hurried over to it.

It would be a tight squeeze, but it would have to do. He ripped off the cover and crawled into the vent, attempting to make as little noise as possible. A challenging task considering his weight and the fact he was in a hurry, but he managed. Batman peered out of various vent covers releasing air into the many rooms of the club, searching for the one where Harvey had recently entered. After a few minutes of searching, Batman finally found a vent cover that overlooked the large room he had previously been supervising. To his benefit, one of the vent covers was almost directly over the table at which Harvey was seated.

"…don't care! I'm getting sick of this, Barret. If we're gonna do this, we gotta do it _now_." Harvey slammed his fist down on the table. The man across from him sipped his drink calmly.

"Why are you in such a hurry? We have plenty of time to prepare." He said, setting his glass back down on the table with a light clink. Harvey let out an irritated growl,

"Not as much as we thought. The _Bat_ is on our tail." He snarled. Barret's hand twitched and he began tapping his glass with one finger.

"Batman, you say? And you chose to tell me _now_?" he inquired irritably, clutching the glass tightly in his hand. Harvey scoffed,

"You don't exactly make it easy to contact you." He snapped. The man ignored his comment and sighed.

"I suppose you brought this on yourself. Kidnapping that girl and all…" he muttered, taking a swig of his drink. Harvey clenched his fist around the glass in front of him, and an angry noise emitted from his throat,

"That little _brat_. When I get my hands on her…" he squeezed the glass and Batman narrowed his eyes at it began to crack, causing a small spider-web design to spread across its surface.

"You will do absolutely nothing." Barret's voice was final. "Anything that has happened up to this point is your fault. It would seem incredibly immature to take out your anger on a teenage girl." He added, amused.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I ought to end you right here, Barret. Save me the trouble of doing it later." Harvey pulled out a pistol from inside his suit and pressed the barrel against Barret's forehead. Batman tensed, ready to intervene, but Barret merely chuckled at Harvey's display of violence.

"Settle down, Mr. Dent. You don't even know the appropriate combination for the formula. If you were to get rid of me now, think of how foolish you'd look later when you're trying to mix up your own concoction and end up getting yourself killed." he pushed the gun away from his face and Harvey mumbled something under his breath, reluctantly concealing the weapon once more.

"Now then, you have the payment?" Barret questioned, propping his elbows up on the table and resting his chin on his laced fingers. Harvey glared at the man for a moment before setting the silver suitcase cuffed to his wrist down on the table. He opened it cautiously and turned it towards the man to reveal several bundles of hundred dollar bills stacked neatly side by side. A dangerous move considering the others in the room, but Harvey's bodyguards obstructed the case from their view.

"I can't believe I'm actually paying you. After all, you made me do all the dirty work while you just sat there." Harvey grumbled. Barret laughed humorlessly,

"You know that none of this could lead back to me. Besides, I'm the one who actually got what you needed in the first place." He reached for the suitcase, but Harvey snapped it shut.

"I don't think so. You get paid after you do your job." Harvey locked the suitcase and returned it to its place by his side. "Think of it as insurance." Harvey sneered. Batman narrowed his eyes. Having heard enough, he placed both feet against the vent cover and pushed with all of his might. The cover popped off, landing on the table below with a crash that drew the attention of all the rooms' patrons. Batman dropped down after it, his cape falling over his shoulders and engulfing him in a black shroud as he landed. Pulling out six batarang's, he sent two flying at Harvey and two at Barret, effectively pinning them to the booths behind them. Harvey and Barret looked up at him in shock as the other men in the club jumped up from their tables.

Several men sprinted for the exits, but others stayed, eager for a fight. Upon seeing the intruder, the four guards pulled out their guns and started shooting. Batman leapt off of the table and rolled under the cover of another. Not a permanent source of protection, the bullets would tear away the wood in no time, but it would give him enough time to prepare. Reaching into his utility belt, he retrieved four more Batarang's. The bullets were starting to rip apart the table now, he needed to move fast. Leaping to the side, Batman took aim and threw the first two Batarang's with expert precision. They hit their mark and the men shooting dropped their guns, clutching their wrists in pain. Two down, two to go. Batman continued running, dodging bullets left and right. The men weren't very good shots, and his constant moving merely added to their inadequacy, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

After a quick roll to the ground, Batman turned and threw his last two batarangs at the remaining gunmen. Now that no one else was shooting he took an opportunity to get to his feet and make his way over to where Harvey and Barret were attempting to free themselves. He could hear the footsteps of a man charging from behind in an attempted sneak attack, and stepped to the side, extending his arm as he did so. The man's throat collided with his forearm and he fell backwards to the ground. The other men in the room were either in a state of shock, or too scared to take a step towards him for an attack. Batman guessed the latter.

"What're you waiting for? Kill him!" Harvey shouted at his two men.

"That goes for the rest of you, too- ten grand to the man who kills the Bat!" Harvey snapped. Chairs and tables were overturned as men made their way towards Batman, snatching up possible weapons as they surrounded the Dark Knight, their greed overshadowing their fear. Batman sent a glare in their direction, and some of them hesitated in their approach. One of the men, tall and lanky with thick sideburns, lunged at Batman with a switchblade. He was fast due to his thin build, but years of training had made Batman faster. He sidestepped to the left, grabbed the man's wrist and thrust his elbow down on his arm. There was a loud pop as the man's wrist dislocated, and he let out a howl of pain before he was tossed roughly aside.

Batman narrowed his eyes as another man, stockier and with more muscle, approached. He decided to use his ham sized fists instead of a weapon, and took a swing at Batman's head. Batman ducked and thrust his fist upward, landing one blow to the man's throat and another to his stomach, sending him sprawling to the floor gasping in pain. Arms surrounded Batman's torso, crushing him so tightly that all of the air left his lungs. He kicked his legs, attempting to knock his attacker off balance, but to no avail. They had lifted him off of the ground so that his feet merely swung through the air. Two men came running towards Batman with wicked smiles on their faces, one wielding a crowbar and the other a broken chair leg. Once they were within reach, Batman pulled his legs in and kicked both men in the face, sending them to the ground holding their heads in pain. Batman then proceeded to slam his head backwards and into the nose of his captor.

The grip on his torso loosened, and he took this as an opportunity to pry himself out of the man's grip. As soon as he hit the ground, he whirled his leg around and landed a solid kick to the man's stomach. He hit the ground like a sack of flour, and Batman turned to face the rest of the group surrounding him. Batman glanced at the table where Harvey and Barret struggled against their binds. Those batarang's were strong enough to hold them for a while, but not forever. If he didn't hurry up, they would be sure to get away. Sighing inwardly, Batman took a stance and prepared for the next attack.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

My mouth had gone dry. I swallowed, and tried to summon even a little bit of saliva, but nothing helped. I felt like I'd been eating dirt. The bay was looking pretty good about now, and I was severely tempted to rush over, stick my head in, and guzzle down some water. Either that, or maybe the iciness of the water would shock me out of this crazy nightmare. Better yet, maybe if I held my head under long enough I'd lose consciousness, and all this will fade to the back of my mind. I wanted to run. I took a hesitant step back, and then another, but I never actually broke out into a run. Partly because I felt like I was in a dream, and that I wasn't actually moving anyway. The other part was due to the fact that the faux-cops had materialized beside me in my shocked state, locking iron grips on my still tender arms. I winced in pain, but otherwise remained silent.

"Come now, my dear, we can't have you running off just as the fun is about to start, now can we?" the Joker approached, hands clasped tightly behind his back. I shrank as far away from him as I could. I'm not afraid of clowns, but meeting the Joker is enough to send anyone running for the hills. There was just something in his eyes, it screamed danger, telling you to run, but at the same time you can't look away. It was absolutely frightening. I remember the first time I ever saw him- and trust me, if you live in Gotham, you've seen the resident loons at least once in your life. I had the benefit of not actually seeing him in person, but on TV. It had been several years ago, on Christmas Eve, when my parents and I had settled down on the living room couch to watch It's a Wonderful Life. I was shocked to see the Joker's ghastly white face pop up on the screen, instead of James Stewart's charming one. I'd had nightmares about the events that occurred on his "TV special" for a week. Now that I was seeing him in person, all of those dreams came rushing vividly to the front of my mind. I shivered.

"W-what do you want?" I questioned. I didn't want my voice to shake like it did, but I couldn't help it. He was just so intimidating. There was nothing logical to anything he did, he just did it. When your fellow psychopaths don't even want anything to do with you, there's a problem. The Joker towered over me menacingly- that crimson smile never wavering on his face.

"I'm so glad you asked!" he threw an arm casually around my shoulders, and the faux-cops released me. I held in a sigh of relief as the throbbing in my arms began to slowly subside. "I was watching the news this afternoon, when the most _horrible_ story popped up!" his voice was dripping with false anguish, "This poor girl named Allie was kidnapped by one of the most deranged men in Gotham!" he looked at me expectantly, as if he were waiting for me to react just as horrified at the story as he appeared to be. I merely stared at him. He ignored my silence and continued as if I'd actually said something,

"Naturally, being the concerned Gotham citizen I am, I wanted to help the poor girl return to her family." He informed, guiding me towards the funhouse. I stared at him cautiously, my steps wavering the closer we got to the building. He took noticed of this and used his grip around my shoulders to force me forward. For a man so skinny, he was actually pretty strong.

"If you really wanted to help, why bring me here? You could have just taken me home." I reasoned. My voice barely came out above a whisper, and I wasn't even sure if the Joker had heard me. His high pitched cackle told me otherwise.

"Good one, kid." He slapped me hard on the back, almost sending me sprawling face first to the ground.

"Harley and I talked it over, and we decided that we just wouldn't be the hospitable, good natured citizens we are if we let you go home hungry, and without a proper 'Welcome Home' party!" He wagged his finger from side to side for emphasis. I swallowed hard, his statement sending chills down my spine. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to have a party with the Joker. We'd reached the funhouse door now and Joker threw it open with such force that it slammed against the wall, causing me to jump.

"_Har~ley_!" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls. The interior of the funhouse was dimly lit, making it almost impossible to see. I could just make out the petite silhouette of a woman walking towards us, and I could hear the faint patter of her footsteps on the floor. As she stepped into the light, I immediately recognized the woman as Harley Quinn. She placed a gloved hand on her hip, her ruby lips spread into a mischievous smile. Her pale blue eyes regarded me with mild interest, almost as if she were sizing me up for a fight, before turning adoringly to Joker.

"Yes, puddin'?" she cooed. Joker shoved me roughly in her direction. "Our guest of honor has finally arrived. Do be a dear and keep her company while I make a quick call to be sure our other guests will be arriving." He instructed darkly, pinching Harley's cheek in what I could only suppose was affection. He just didn't seem like the affectionate type, to me. The harlequin woman seemed to melt at his touch, though, and gave a mock salute as Joker walked away. She turned to me with a bright smile.

"Well, c'mon Goldie Locks, you can help me feed the babies while Mr. J puts the finishing touches on your big night." She winked, heading off in the direction that the "babies" must have been in. I blinked in confusion, following the female rogue slowly. Maybe I'm a little out of the loop or something, but… When did Harley and the Joker have kids?

_** A/N **_

_**Sooo, yes, I am alive.  
>I'm really sorry this took so long :  
>I had ACT's and a whole bunch of other stuff come up that just completely threw me out of whack.<br>**_

_**But, here's a chapter for you all! :D  
><strong>__**I'm not even sure if any of you are interested, but in my original concept of this  
>story Batman didn't appear until the very last chapter. And Alfred didn't even make the small cameo he did in this chapter.<br>As I started writing though it just got harder and harder to NOT incorporate Batman in more.  
>So yep, there's that. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.<strong>_

_**Until next time! Stay safe everyone! :)**_


	12. Chapter 11

_** CHAPTER 11**_

Batman adjusted the glove on his right arm that had come loose during the fight. Scattered on the floor around him were the unconscious bodies of the men Harvey had tempted into attacking him. The fight hadn't taken more than a couple of minutes, but Batman's scowl deepened as he thought about the time that had been wasted. He turned back to Harvey and Barret, stalking towards them with a dark glare. Both men started struggling against their restraints with renewed urgency as the Dark Knight came closer. Harvey managed to wrench himself loose before Barret and bolted towards the nearest door. Batman was faster, catching hold of the back of Harvey's shirt collar before he even reached the exit. He jerked him in the opposite direction of his escape route and released him, causing Harvey to sprawl flat on his back on the floor.

"Give it up, Harvey. It's over." Batman ordered, his intimidating shadow looming over the man before him. Two-Face grit his teeth and clenched a fist to keep from swinging at the masked man. Meanwhile, with one final jerk of his shoulder, Barret finally broke free and sprinted towards the front door. Batman maneuvered around Harvey in pursuit, reaching for a Batarang to throw at the fleeing suspect. He was stopped as Harvey reached into his jacket, pulled out a pistol, and started shooting at him. The first bullet nearly grazed Batman's nose, but he managed to pull back at the last minute. Batman ducked behind an overturned table for cover as bullets whizzed all around him. Over his head, past his ear, and even embedding themselves into the walls and tables. He reached into his utility-belt and took out a smoke pellet. Tossing it over the table, he waited until he heard Harvey's coughs before he leapt from his shelter.

Batman followed the sound of Harvey's coughing fit until he was right behind him, sending a blow to one of the pressure points in Harvey's shoulder. He let out a sharp cry and released the gun, sending it clattering to the floor. Kicking the gun out of Harvey's reach Batman whirled the man around and grabbed two fistfuls of Harvey's shirt, hoisting him off the ground. Thanks to his diversion, Barret had managed to get away. That was fine, though. Batman would just get his answers from Harvey for now, and find him later.

Batman had just opened his mouth to speak when the door to his left swung open. Jerry Lynch stood in the doorway, a cigar hanging loosely from his mouth in surprise as he took in the state of his club. His dark hair was slicked back, and his navy-blue tailored suit looked almost black in the dimly-lit room. His cigar finally fell to the ground in shock at the sight in front of him.

"What the…" he trailed off, his surprise fading into anger. "What d'you think you're doin'?" he demanded, face turning blood red in his rage.

"I need a few minutes with your client. You know where the exits are." Batman snapped irritably. Lynch didn't back down, and his face grew almost purple with rage.

"You can't just barge in here and start-!" he stopped mid-sentence at Batman's icy glare. "Th-there's a phone call. For Harvey Dent." Lynch stammered, changing the subject. Batman narrowed his eyes at the balding man. He turned his gaze to Harvey who stared back at him coldly.  
>"Don't look at me, Bat. I got no idea who'd wanna call me here." Harvey snapped.<p>

"Who is it?" Batman returned his gaze to Lynch. The man jumped, fumbling for an answer.

"I-I dunno. Weird sounding guy, like some sort of whacked-out cartoon character." He shrugged. Curiosity getting the better of him, Batman led Harvey to the door by his shirt collar. The man's protests and feeble attempts to claw his captor's grip off of him went ignored by the caped crusader. He stopped in front of Lynch, who looked up at him fearfully.

"Bring me the phone." He ordered.

"Uh… I… Y-You can't just…" Lynch stuttered, taking hesitant steps backwards.

"_Now_." Batman added curtly, causing Lynch to jump and trip over himself in an attempt to get to the phone. He within record time, a wireless black telephone in hand. Lynch held out the mobile with a shaky hand, flinching as Batman snatched it out of his grasp and held it to his ear.

"Hello? Helloo~? Harvey? Jerry-boy? Anybody there?" Batman grit his teeth at the sound of the cheery voice.

"Joker." He growled. There was a pleasantly surprised gasp at the other end of the line,

"Batsy old chum! Is that you? It's been a while!" Joker exclaimed with delight. "How's the boy blunder? Did he enjoy the presents I left for you at City Hall last week?" he asked, laughing maniacally. Batman tightened his grip on the phone at the memory. About a week ago, Joker had filled several stuffed animals with grenades and thrown them at the duo as they attempted to rescue the mayor from _another_ one of the Joker's schemes. Robin had been thrown six feet into the air from the explosion, and broken his leg in two places as well as dislocated his shoulder.

"What do you want, clown?" Batman snarled. Joker made several disappointed _tsks_ before replying,

"Now, now, Batman. With that sort of attitude, I don't think I want you at my party."

"What are you talking about?"

"In fact, I don't think little Allie would want you to come either." Batman froze. Allie..? Joker continued, ignoring Batman's silence.

"She _is_ the guest of honor after all, and I don't think she would want your _terrible_ attitude to ruin her evening." Joker added darkly.

"What have you done to her, Joker?" Batman demanded.

"Don't worry, Bats. She's safe and sound… For now." The darkness in his tone made Batman's jaw twitch. "Come on down to the carnival, Batman, and join the party! Be sure to bring Harvey with you! It'll be a _blast_…" he added menacingly. "See you soon~!" with a dark chuckle and a faint click, the call ended. Batman clenched the phone in his hand so tightly, he was sure the plastic device would snap in two.

The Joker was setting a trap. For all Batman knew, Nightwing had taken Allie home. But, if Joker _had_ managed to intervene in some way, he couldn't chance it. He would have to take the bait. First, though, he would get hold of Nightwing and confirm whether his suspicions were true or not.

Batman was driven out of his thoughts by a satisfied chuckle. He turned to Harvey, who had fallen silent out of curiosity as he eavesdropped on the phone conversation. Harvey smiled deviously,

"So, what's it gonna be _Batman_? Are you going to waste your time interrogating us for answers we ain't gonna give? Or are you gonna save the girl?" his satisfied smirk faded as Batman gave him a sharp jerk and leaned towards him threateningly.

"Who says I can't do both?" and with that, the fist containing the telephone collided with Harvey's skull knocking him out cold. Batman tossed the phone over his shoulder and it fell to the ground with a loud _crack_. He dragged Harvey's body across the debris littered floor and was about halfway to the door when the sound of a gun cocking stopped him. Turning his head slightly, he eyed Lynch out of the corner of his eye. The ex-con had a shotgun aimed at the Dark Knight's back, his brow furrowed in anger.

"Don't think you can just waltz in here and beat the tar out of my customers. You're in for it now, Bat-freak." He snarled, his finger twitching over the trigger.

"Yo, boss! What's goin' on?" Lynch looked away from the Dark Knight for a split second to watch as one of his men entered the room, but when he looked back, ready to pull the trigger, his jaw dropped. The door was wide open, and Batman was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dick sighed, his arms firmly planted over his chest. He surveyed the street from his perch atop an old water-tower with mild interest. Did Batman honestly not trust him enough to take Allie home? A faint beeping noise brought him out of his silent brooding. _Well, that's just fine. _He thought to himself, pulling out his portable GPS. He smirked at the little dot that appeared on the screen, just south of where he was now- right next to Gotham Bay, deep in the slums of Gotham City. _Because I don't trust those "cops", either. Heh, trust issues must run in the family. _He mused to himself, dropping from his perch and running over to his motorcycle.

Nightwing thought back to the previous hour with silent satisfaction. As soon as the "policemen" had their backs turned, he had carefully tossed a small tracer onto the bumper of their cruiser. The second they turned the corner and were out of sight, he thanked Leslie and took off after them. As he reached the motorcycle, he thought of Allie's reaction when she first rode it. She was absolutely terrified, he could feel it when her arms tightened around him, and it took everything he had not to laugh at her. His thoughts then drifted to the sudden panic in her eyes when he first asked her to help him find Harvey, and how absolutely against helping him she had been. After that, only one thought echoed over and over in his mind as he attempted to catch up to the car that had taken Allie with it. _  
>This is all my fault… <em>

Dick jumped when he felt the vibrations of his cell phone in his pocket. He pulled it out hastily and flipped it open.

"Uh… Hello?" he answered.

"Nightwing, is Allie with you?" Batman's usually commanding tone was laced with a hint of anxiety that most people wouldn't have noticed. Then again, most people hadn't lived with the Batman for a majority of their lives. Dick held his breath for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"No. She's not. Some whack jobs dressed as cops said you told Gordon to send them to pick her up." He said as he leaned against the motorcycle.

"I never told the Commissioner anything." Batman replied causing Dick to sigh,

"Yeah, I know you didn't… But _you_ know who really sent those guys. Don't you?" Dick accused. Batman's silence was all the confirmation he needed. "Who was it?" he demanded.

"Nightwing, I-"

"Who was it?" he repeated, more firmly than the first time. Batman was silent for a moment before he replied, "the Joker." That one name was all it took to send Dick's sense of guilt and panic straight up. "I'm on my way." He snarled into the phone.

"Nightwing, wait. I can handle this. Besides you don't even know where she-"

"She's at the old carnival downtown, right?" he cut off his ex-mentor for the second time, examining his GPS once again.  
>"How did you know that?" Batman inquired, slight agitation in his voice. Dick scoffed,<p>

"I grew up with you, Bruce. I didn't leave without picking up a few things first." He replied in a whisper harsh whisper. He was about to hang up when but froze, pursing his lips in thought.

"Uh, Bruce?" he asked.

"Yes?" was his curt reply.

"How did you even get this number..?" there was a long stretch of silence before,

"Apparently you didn't pick up much." And the call ended. Dick blinked before heaving an exasperated sigh and starting up his motorcycle. If the Joker had Allie, there was no telling what would happen to her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I stared at the unusual scene before me in utter bewilderment. Harley Quinn stood just a few feet away from me, tossing raw steaks into the air and squealing with delight each time one of her "babies" caught the meat in their slobbery, sharp-toothed maws.

"Ain't they just precious?" Harley exclaimed. I tried to hide my disgust as I watched the two hyenas play tug-o-war with one of the steaks, growling maliciously and snapping at each other in the process. I'm not sure how well I hid it, but I forced a smile when I felt Harley's eyes on my face, nodding mechanically. I definitely didn't want to offend her. Oh, and if you haven't figured it out by now, I was wrong last time. Joker and Harley don't have kids. They're those crazy people who say that their... Wait, no, they're just crazy people. I think that's a sufficient explanation.

"This one's Bud, 'n that one's Lou!" Harley announced proudly, pointing to each animal in turn. "You wanna feed 'em?" she asked, shoving the plate of raw meat under my nose. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat as blood sloshed around on the plate, and tried to ignore the hungry looks of the two wild animals in front of me.

"Oh, n-no thanks." I declined as politely as I could. Harley laughed,

"Aw, c'mon Goldie Locks! They won't hurt ya, so long as you don't get your fingers too close." She waved a hand dismissively, thrusting the plate into my arms. A cold, nervous feeling spread from the pit of my stomach as the hungry looks Bud and Lou threw in my direction turned absolutely ravenous.

I swallowed as the two hyenas took some very predatory stances and started to close in on me, licking their jowls in anticipation. I felt like a chicken that'd just been thrown to a pack of hungry foxes. Or, you know, in this case hyenas. Hands shaking, I gingerly took a large slab of steak between my thumb and forefinger. I then flung it to the side and far, far away from me. I jumped and stifled a small shriek as the hyenas threw themselves passed me and practically jumped on the meat, snapping their jaws at each other as they attempted to devour their meal at the same time.

Harley took the plate away from me with a giggle and a goofy smile. Her bubbly personality had completely thrown me for a loop. I'd always heard that Harley Quinn was dangerous and unstable. I mean, she is in love with the Joker, so I'll buy some of it, but… She just doesn't act all that dangerous. I relinquished the plate gratefully and took a few tentative steps away from the outbreaking fight between Bud and Lou. For a minute I wondered if whatever the Joker had in store would result in that steak they were fighting over and devouring so viciously, being me instead.

There was a loud crackling sound, and the Joker's voice echoed throughout the room. Speak of the devil…

"How's our guest of honor holding up, Harl?" he inquired. Harley smiled and offered a salute to the intercom Joker was speaking through,

"Just fine, puddin'. We're bonding!" she said airily, pulling me into a tight embrace. Joker sniggered through the intercom,

"Wonderful! Our other guests are on their way, so take little Allie to the party room. Make sure she's… Comfortable." Joker's laughter bounced off of the metal walls and made my blood run cold. There was another crackling sound and we were left in silence.

Harley sighed and shook her head, walking over to a large crate on the far side of the room. My entire body was screaming "danger!" but I couldn't make myself move. Especially since Bud and Lou had long since finished their squabble over the piece of steak and had turned their eyes to me. Harley returned with one hand hidden behind her back and an amused expression on her face.

"Sorry, Goldie Locks, but…" she swung her hidden arm around revealing a large, red boxing glove. "Playtime's over." She finished darkly. I didn't even have time to react as the glove collided with the side of my head, sending me flying backwards onto the cold concrete floor.

I could just barely make out Harley's black and red boots sauntering towards me as my vision began to fade. The last thing I remember were the cackles of Bud and Lou, before darkness took over.

_**A/N  
><span>**__**First of all, I'm sorry everyone.  
>I just recently went through some pretty hard relationship stuff myself and I just kind of lost all want to write a romance story :S<br>I'm back now, though! So, it's all good I guess.**_

_**I'm not happy with any of this chapter except for Allie's part, but Nightwing and Batman's POV were kind of necessary.  
>Oh! Have I ever mentioned that Batman actually wasn't supposed to appear in this story at all? I mean, I had planned for him to in the very beginning with the "prologue" at Allie's house and at the very, very end but that was it. Just a little fun fact I guess :P<br>**_

_**Anyway, please review! :)**_


End file.
